Category: World News

A 6.7-magnitude earthquake rattled Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring dozens more, according to the country’s disaster mitigation agency.

Indonesia’s geophysics agency, known as BMKG, reported that the quake hit Tuesday morning, with its epicenter located approximately 42 kilometers — about 26 miles — southeast of the town of Palu, at a depth of 10 kilometers.

The disaster agency confirmed late Tuesday that one fatality occurred in the Sigi region, though no additional details about the death were provided. A total of 38 people sustained injuries.

The earthquake left a trail of destruction across Central Sulawesi province, damaging a road that links three separate regions. Officials also reported damage to 67 homes, bridges, offices, and places of worship.

Authorities confirmed the earthquake did not generate a tsunami — a relief given the area’s history. In 2018, a much stronger 7.5-magnitude quake struck Palu and surrounding communities, unleashing a tsunami that reached heights of up to 6 meters, or roughly 20 feet, and claimed thousands of lives in one of the country’s most devastating recent disasters.

Indonesia sits within the so-called “Pacific Ring of Fire,” a seismically active zone of volcanoes and fault lines that stretches from South America all the way to the Russian Far East. The country’s location within this geologically complex region makes it especially vulnerable to earthquakes.

GAZA (AP) — Tens of thousands of Palestinian children have been left without one or both parents as a result of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, adding to what UNICEF describes as the “unconscionable” impact the conflict has had on the region’s youth.

The loss of a parent is among the most enduring consequences of the war, stripping children — many of whom are already dealing with trauma, injuries, or desperate living conditions — of the guidance and love that mothers and fathers provide as they grow up.

UNICEF reported that as of earlier this year, close to 59,000 children had lost at least one parent, while approximately 2,700 had lost both their mother and father.

More than 73,000 people have died in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants launched an attack on southern Israel, killing roughly 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Those casualty figures come from Gaza’s health ministry, which operates under the Hamas-run government but is staffed by medical professionals who keep detailed records that the international community generally considers reliable.

“The tragedy is not limited to physical harm alone,” said Dr. Ola Awad, president of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. “But extends to the very fabric of the family and social structure.”

Gazan society is deeply rooted in extended family networks, with relatives often sharing homes or living nearby. In the wake of widespread destruction, family members and other caregivers have worked to give orphaned children some sense of normalcy.

Mahmoud Nofal, 64, is now the guardian of his two young grandchildren, ages 3 and 5. “It’s difficult to replace the love and affection of a father and mother. It’s difficult to compensate them for so many things,” he said. Speaking from the tent where the three of them now live in the southern area of Khan Younis, he added, “I am their provider. I bathe them and I supply them with everything they need.”

Separated from their families, homes, and daily routines, many children hold tightly to whatever remnants of their former lives they can find. Some have returned to school, help out with household tasks, or ride bikes along dirt paths with friends.

For 10-year-old Razan Shanan, letting go has proven nearly impossible. An airstrike took the lives of five members of her immediate family, leaving her as the sole survivor. The attack has left her deeply anxious, and she holds on to family photographs she was able to recover from the wreckage of the six-story building that had been her home.

Salah Al-Kafarana, who is now raising five nieces and nephews in Gaza City, put it plainly: “No matter how much affection, clothing, trips, food, and drink I provide them, it can never replace even one percent of their family.”

This report is based on a documentary photo essay curated by AP photo editors.

Australian airline Qantas is preparing to reveal which city — London or New York — will be the first destination served by what would become the world’s longest nonstop commercial flights, marking a major milestone in aviation history after years of planning and delays.

Known internally as “Project Sunrise,” the initiative has been in development since 2017 and aims to offer direct service from eastern Australia using specially modified Airbus long-haul aircraft. The flights are expected to begin by the end of next year.

The goal is to shrink what was once a five-day journey along the historic “Kangaroo Route” to London down to a maximum of 22 hours, depending on the specific path and wind conditions. Currently, that same trip takes between 24 and 25 hours with a stop in Singapore.

New York, which Qantas currently reaches from Sydney by way of Auckland, is also among the early planned destinations. However, the airline has not yet publicly stated which city will launch first — until Wednesday’s announcement.

The undertaking represents a significant financial risk for the carrier, which has invested billions of dollars into new aircraft, redesigned cabin interiors, and research into how extremely long flights affect passengers’ health.

For the project to pay off, Qantas must convince travelers to spend more money in exchange for skipping connecting flights, while also making those long hours in the air as comfortable as possible.

Aviation analyst John Strickland put it plainly: “What they are selling is time, and they absolutely need to get a premium on all the cabins, particularly business and premium economy.”

The project takes its name from a series of endurance flights Qantas operated during World War Two, when planes stayed in the air long enough to witness two sunrises — earning the nickname “double sunrise” flights.

Qantas has projected that Project Sunrise could contribute more than A$400 million (approximately $282.68 million U.S.) annually to the company’s earnings. In February, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson said the financial model assumes nonstop tickets could command prices roughly 20% higher than comparable one-stop fares in premium cabin classes.

However, analysts have cautioned that elevated fuel costs tied to the conflict in the Gulf region have made it harder for the airline to break even on the flights.

A note from Jefferies analysts published in April — written after an initial U.S.-Iran ceasefire but before this week’s interim peace agreement — suggested that travelers would continue to favor flying directly to Europe through Perth or switching from Middle Eastern hubs to Asian ones through 2027. “Consequently, we expect a positive market for Project Sunrise flights to London,” the analysts wrote.

Gulf-based carriers such as Emirates, which have built their business models around connecting passengers through their hub airports, have signaled they intend to compete aggressively. Adding to that competitive landscape, the Australian government on Wednesday lifted a months-long “do not travel” warning for Gulf hub airports — a warning that had effectively invalidated most travel insurance policies, even for passengers simply passing through.

Qantas plans to present the financial details of the new nonstop service to investors and showcase its custom-designed cabin configurations at an event held Wednesday in Toulouse, France.

Airbus secured the Project Sunrise contract in 2019 following a fierce competition against Boeing’s 777X aircraft. Earlier this month, Airbus completed the first test flight of one of the 12 specially modified A350-1000ULR jets ordered by Qantas.

Each of the 238-seat planes includes an additional rear-center fuel tank that extends the aircraft’s range by 1,000 nautical miles — bringing the total to 10,000 nautical miles (about 11,508 miles). The flights are so lengthy that a substantial portion of the fuel load is consumed simply carrying the weight of the remaining fuel onboard.

The first of these planes is scheduled to be delivered in April 2027 — roughly five years behind the original timeline, due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing aerospace supply chain problems.

Reuters has also reported that Qantas is currently in discussions to purchase 20 additional wide-body aircraft from either Airbus or Boeing, with the smaller A350-900 model or more Boeing 787s being considered as options.

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a rare public rebuke of Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon on Tuesday, saying the approach of bombing entire apartment buildings to hunt down Hezbollah fighters is unnecessary and is resulting in civilian deaths.

Speaking at the G7 summit in France, Trump said Israel has been fighting Hezbollah — the Iran-aligned Lebanese militia — for “too long.” He voiced frustration over Israeli airstrikes in Beirut, which he said had put his recent peace agreement with Iran at risk.

“Too many people have been killed. You don’t have to knock down an apartment house every time you’re looking for somebody, because there are a lot of people in those apartment houses, and they’re not all Hezbollah,” Trump said during the summit.

The remarks signal growing friction between Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has long been considered a key political ally. Israeli officials have reportedly been quietly voicing frustration over Trump’s Iran deal, while Trump has grown increasingly impatient with Netanyahu over the Beirut strikes, which he says triggered Iranian attacks at a critical moment in negotiations.

Despite the criticism, Trump described his relationship with Netanyahu as “great,” while also insisting the Israeli leader should be “more responsible” when it comes to Lebanon. He also made a pointed statement about America’s role in Israel’s existence: “Without us, without the United States, there would be no Israel. Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did.”

The two leaders have repeatedly clashed over Israel’s continued military pursuit of Hezbollah in Lebanon. A halt to those operations is reportedly a key demand from Iran. It is uncommon for U.S. presidents to publicly criticize Israel’s military methods.

Shortly after Trump’s remarks, an official White House social media account shared a video clip of those specific comments — though the White House did not explain why those particular remarks were highlighted.

The White House did, however, emphasize that Trump maintains a strong relationship with Netanyahu and described the Israel Defense Forces as “incredible partners.”

“There has been no greater friend to Israel and a fighter for peace than President Trump…Americans and our allies around the world are already safer for the United States and Israel’s bold actions to deny the Iranian regime the ability to develop a nuclear weapon,” a White House official stated.

Analysts note there is no clear sign that Trump’s comments will lead to any concrete policy changes that would compel Israel to alter its military tactics or better protect civilians.

Israel has faced widespread international criticism, particularly over its military campaign in Gaza, which has resulted in 73,000 deaths — the majority of them civilians — according to the Gaza health ministry. Israel maintains that it does not intentionally target non-combatants and accuses militant groups like Hamas and Hezbollah of using civilians as human shields.

A spokesperson for the Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment on the story.

Russian military strikes targeting cities in eastern and southeastern Ukraine on Tuesday resulted in four deaths and left multiple people injured, according to officials and prosecutors.

In the Donetsk region — the central focus of Ukraine’s front lines — prosecutors reported that two bomb strikes hit the city of Sloviansk, killing three people and wounding five others.

Sloviansk is considered part of Ukraine’s so-called “fortress belt,” a heavily fortified zone that military planners see as critical to slowing Russia’s gradual advance through the Donetsk region.

Further south in the city of Zaporizhzhia, national police reported that a large wave of drones struck the area, killing one man inside his vehicle and injuring seven additional people.

Photos circulating online showed fire burning inside a building and on a rooftop, with at least one exterior wall reduced to rubble.

Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov confirmed five separate strikes hit Zaporizhzhia. He said fires erupted in a residential building and a shopping center, and an educational facility also sustained damage in the assault.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm the details of the attacks. Both Russia and Ukraine maintain that they do not intentionally target civilians in the conflict, which began when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

SYDNEY — Australia took a step back from its strictest travel warnings Wednesday, easing advisories for five Middle Eastern countries following an interim agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending the conflict in the region.

The countries affected by the updated guidance are Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates. The advisory level was lowered from “do not travel” to “reconsider your need to travel,” though officials emphasized that non-essential trips to the Gulf states should still be postponed.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong explained the reasoning behind the change, while also cautioning that the situation remains unpredictable.

“While the security situation across the Middle East could deteriorate rapidly with little warning, the (government) has assessed current conditions in Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE as appropriate to move to (the lower level),” Wong said.

The adjustment signals a measured shift in Australia’s stance as diplomatic developments continue to unfold in the Middle East, though officials are stopping short of giving the all-clear for leisure or unnecessary travel to the affected region.

President Donald Trump on Tuesday praised Qatar for pouring what he called “tremendous amounts of money” into the American economy, as he sat down with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the margins of the Group of Seven summit held in France.

The conversation touched on multiple topics, including the recently reached US-Iran agreement and Qatar’s growing influence in Middle East diplomacy. During the meeting, Trump pushed back firmly against reports suggesting the Iran deal would include large financial incentives backed by the United States for Tehran.

“We are not investing any money in Iran,” Trump stated. “That rumor got out there yesterday; it was ridiculous.”

The president then shifted focus to Qatar’s role as a financial partner, expressing appreciation for Doha’s commitment to the US economy. “Qatar is investing tremendous amounts of money in our country, and we appreciate that,” he said, also noting that the United States is expanding both its manufacturing capacity and artificial intelligence sector.

Emir Sheikh Tamim confirmed that the economic relationship between Qatar and the United States is on track to reach $1.2 trillion, a figure he tied to strengthened ties that followed President Trump’s visit to Doha last year. The Emir said Qatar takes pride not only in its own investments in America, but also in the presence of US companies doing business in Qatar.

That $1.2 trillion figure aligns with a White House announcement from May 2025, in which the administration said President Trump had signed an agreement with Qatar projected to generate at least that amount in economic activity between the two countries. The package included more than $243 billion in specific deals spanning aircraft, energy, defense, technology, and infrastructure.

Beyond economics, Qatar has emerged as a key player in US diplomatic efforts across the Middle East, particularly in matters related to Iran and efforts to reduce regional tensions.

President Donald Trump arrived at the Group of Seven summit in France this week with a freshly struck agreement with Iran to promote, a restless Israeli ally to rein in, and a well-worn message for the rest of the world: he had accomplished what no one else would.

What followed was a diplomatic week that resembled less a traditional summit and more a rolling Trump showcase — part peace announcement, part airing of grievances, part test of who stands with him.

The harshest words were directed at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose recent military strikes in Lebanon infuriated Washington at precisely the moment President Trump was working to finalize a deal with Tehran. Speaking in Évian-les-Bains, Trump said Netanyahu “has to be more responsible with respect to Lebanon,” describing the Beirut strike as “vicious” and “too much.”

Then came the statement that dominated headlines.

“Without us, without the United States, there would be no Israel,” Trump said, according to CBS News. “Without me, there would be no Israel, because no other president was willing to do what I did.”

That was far from the only bold claim of the week. In an interview reported by The New York Times and picked up by Israeli media, Trump called Netanyahu “a very difficult guy” and argued the Israeli leader should be thankful for the Iran agreement. “Because if Iran had a nuclear weapon, Israel wouldn’t be around for two hours,” Trump said.

The remarks captured a shifting dynamic in the relationship. Trump continues to portray himself as Israel’s essential defender, but he has grown increasingly willing to speak about Netanyahu as a challenge to be handled rather than an ally to be celebrated.

The frustration had been building for some time. Axios reported earlier this month that Trump exploded at Netanyahu during a profanity-filled phone call over Israeli military escalation in Lebanon, accusing the prime minister of putting US-led Iran negotiations at risk. CBS News reported that Trump later told Fox News he had asked Netanyahu, “What the **** are you doing?” following the Beirut strikes.

Within Israel, political leaders were divided — not on whether Iran poses a threat, but on whether Trump’s deal actually constrains Tehran or simply rewards it. Netanyahu stopped short of a full public break with Washington, saying the decision rests with President Trump while maintaining that Israel must look after its own security. Far-right members of his government were far blunter. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir declared, “Trump’s agreement does not bind us,” while Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the deal harmful to Israel and “the entire free world.”

The unease extended beyond Israel. At the G7, French President Emmanuel Macron was caught on a hot microphone telling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that he had experienced a “difficult discussion” with Trump. The candid moment offered a telling look at how other world leaders now navigate their relationship with the American president — carefully, quietly, and preferably without a live microphone nearby.

Trump, for his part, framed the Iran agreement as a demonstration of American leverage rather than a concession. He said the memorandum of understanding explicitly bars Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and indicated he was open to sending the deal to Congress for review. He also issued a stark warning, saying “all hell will rain down” if Tehran attempts to develop a bomb.

For Israel, the week laid bare an uncomfortable new reality. Trump remains popular, powerful, and verbally committed to Israel’s continued existence. But that support now arrives alongside public criticism, transactional expectations, and a clear message that Netanyahu must not stand in the way of the deal Trump intends to claim as his own achievement.

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Supreme Court found former lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro guilty on Tuesday of coercion in connection with the trial that last year put his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, behind bars for 27 years following a coup attempt conviction.

The court handed down a sentence of four years and two months in prison. All five justices who heard the case agreed that Eduardo Bolsonaro had illegally meddled by pressuring the U.S. government to threaten Brazilian officials in an effort to derail that trial.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who also presided over the elder Bolsonaro’s coup case, stated that Eduardo Bolsonaro’s role as a federal lawmaker “is not to lobby overseas against his own country.” De Moraes and his wife were both sanctioned by the U.S. government in July of last year.

Defense attorneys for Eduardo Bolsonaro pushed back against the verdict, arguing that the evidence presented was insufficient to support a conviction. The former lawmaker has been residing in the state of Texas since February 2025.

U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil last year as a show of protest over the prosecution of Jair Bolsonaro, who had attempted to reverse his 2022 electoral loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Relations between Trump and Lula appeared to warm in early May when the Brazilian president traveled to the White House for a visit. However, by June, the U.S. government was again proposing 25% tariffs on Brazilian imports, accusing the country — the world’s tenth-largest economy — of engaging in unfair trade practices.

Lula stated that during his Washington visit in early May, he presented Trump with documents demonstrating that the United States actually holds a trade surplus with Brazil.

Eduardo Bolsonaro offered no public comment following the Supreme Court’s ruling. He is currently on the campaign trail supporting his brother, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, who is expected to mount a challenge against Lula in October’s elections — though that candidacy has recently been clouded by a scandal involving a payment to a disgraced banker.

Eduardo and Flávio Bolsonaro recently made a trip to Washington, where they met with U.S. officials, including Trump.

MOMBASA, Kenya — Nations across Africa and the Commonwealth are demanding faster action on a groundbreaking international agreement designed to safeguard the world’s oceans, cautioning that despite record-setting conservation pledges, real protection of marine environments remains largely unfinished business.

The urgent appeal came Tuesday at the 11th Our Ocean Conference held in Mombasa — marking the first time an African country has hosted the high-profile annual gathering. The event brings together leaders to tackle pressing ocean challenges, from climate change and biodiversity loss to pollution.

The conference drew hundreds of delegates representing Africa, the United States, the European Union, and island nations in the Caribbean and Pacific that are especially vulnerable to climate impacts. Host nation leaders have used the occasion to position Africa as a central player in shaping how the world governs its oceans.

At the Commonwealth Ocean Ministers’ Roundtable, former U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry described the High Seas Treaty as a historic milestone. The agreement took effect in January after 60 countries ratified it, establishing for the first time a legal framework for creating protected zones in international waters.

Kerry was quick to note, however, that the pace of progress falls far short of what’s needed.

“We have 10% of the ocean under protection this year,” Kerry said. “That is worth marking. But only 3% is highly or fully protected, and the rest of the protections are, unfortunately, just lines on a map.”

He also raised concerns about industrial fishing operations, describing fleets that travel thousands of miles from their home ports and deploy enormous nets that sweep up marine life indiscriminately.

Kerry urged nations that have not yet signed on to act without delay. “Ratify it if you haven’t, and move immediately to implementation,” he said, pointing out that major decisions about the treaty’s future will be made next year.

The agreement, officially called the Agreement on Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction, is designed to help the world meet a target of placing 30% of both land and ocean under protection by the year 2030.

Kenya’s Cabinet secretary of maritime affairs, Hassan Joho, stressed that the time for talking has passed and that governments must now deliver concrete results.

“The purpose of this roundtable is not to restate ambition, but to convert such pledges into measurable results for our communities, our economies and our oceans,” Joho said.

Joho highlighted that since 2014, the One Ocean Conference has produced more than 2,900 pledges totaling over $169 billion. The real test, he said, is whether those commitments translate into genuine management of ocean ecosystems.

The 56 member states of the Commonwealth together control 36% of the world’s ocean jurisdiction and are home to nearly half of its coral reefs, giving the group an outsized role in marine conservation.

Africa is increasingly emerging as a leader in protecting ocean resources. Kerry highlighted the efforts of eight nations in the Gulf of Guinea that have committed to sustainably managing all of their waters by 2030.

“A region long described as a victim of ocean exploitation is now choosing to lead instead,” he said.

Kenya itself has expanded its marine protected areas, developed integrated coastal management plans, and intensified efforts to crack down on illegal and unregulated fishing. The country’s 640-kilometer (400-mile) coastline and large exclusive economic zone support fisheries, tourism, and other industries that provide livelihoods for millions of people.

As talks continue in Mombasa, delegates say the months ahead will be decisive in determining whether the treaty becomes a genuine force for ocean conservation — or simply another round of international commitments that never fully materialize.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres traveled to Haiti on Tuesday, arriving in a country where out-of-control gang violence has left more than one in ten people without a home.

Newly released UN data paints a grim picture: 2,300 Haitians have lost their lives so far this year, another 100 have been kidnapped, and 1.5 million people have been forced from their homes. Among those abducted is James Boyard, cabinet director of the Defense Ministry, who was seized last week in one of the capital’s few relatively stable neighborhoods.

The Secretary-General’s single-day stop in Port-au-Prince followed a violent weekend in Cité Soleil, a coastal slum, where more than 30 people were killed, wounded, or reported missing, according to the Cooperative for Peace and Development, a local human rights organization.

During his motorcade through the city, Guterres passed through areas once entirely under gang control — neighborhoods marked by gutted car dealerships, deserted homes, and concrete buildings riddled with bullet holes. A colorful local bus called a tap-tap rolled by, its windshield shattered by gunfire.

On a crumbling concrete wall, graffiti declared: “Down with Viv Ansanm, long live the police.” Viv Ansanm is a powerful gang alliance that the U.S. government has designated a foreign terrorist organization. The group is believed to control roughly 70% of Port-au-Prince.

Along the route, Guterres passed scores of Haitians who had escaped the fighting and are now sheltering in makeshift dwellings — canvas sheets strung up with worn rope.

More than 300,000 people have been displaced by gang violence throughout Port-au-Prince, a record high. That number includes over 18,000 people who fled Cité Soleil in May alone, according to the UN International Organization for Migration.

“Haiti’s displacement crisis is entering an even more alarming phase,” said Gregoire Goodstein, IOM chief of mission in Haiti, in a recent statement.

Guterres’ first stop was the headquarters of a newly established gang-suppression force approved by the UN Security Council in September. The force replaces a UN-backed mission led by Kenyan police that had struggled with inadequate funding and staffing. So far, Jamaica, Chad, El Salvador, and Guatemala have each contributed troops, bringing the total force to fewer than 1,000 personnel. The unit is expected to begin full operations within the coming weeks.

The new force is set to work alongside Haiti’s National Police and its expanding Armed Forces. Hundreds of Haitian men — and a few women — were seen lined up along a dusty road hoping to be interviewed for positions in the military.

Guterres then held a private meeting with Prime Minister Alix Didier-Fils-Aimé, who faces mounting pressure to organize elections in a country of nearly 12 million that has been without a president since Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his private residence in July 2021.

“We had a frank conversation about what’s happening in Haiti, the vision the government has for the future,” Fils-Aimé told the Associated Press following the meeting.

The prime minister said security remains the top priority so the transitional government can move forward with elections and “get back to republican rule.” He added that Guterres could support that goal by making sure the nations backing the gang-suppression force “live up to their engagement.”

Guterres also visited a makeshift shelter set up inside a former school, where dozens of displaced residents crowded around him. Some had been living there for as long as four years after gangs attacked and burned their communities.

“Solino is not ready,” said 31-year-old Clifford Lala, referring to his neighborhood — one of the last areas in Port-au-Prince before gangs overran it.

Inside a sweltering classroom, Guterres met privately with six women who described the lack of basic privacy at the shelter — even for bathing or using the restroom — and expressed deep concern for their young children.

“It’s skin-to-skin and mouth-to-mouth,” one woman said.

The shelter is home to more than 1,200 people sleeping side by side, with only one meal a day guaranteed.

“We’re going to do our best,” Guterres told the women.

Outside, a man began striking the building’s metal walls and shouted, “We want to go back home!” His voice grew louder and more desperate as security personnel entered the room and escorted Guterres out.

Wendy Cejour, 26, told the AP that he and his family have been staying at the school for a year and a half.

“As long as we’re alive we have hope, but … things are difficult,” he said. “We ask … to return to our neighborhood to live better, because we don’t have a life here.”

The day before Guterres arrived, Human Rights Watch published an open letter urging him to prioritize protecting civilians and addressing the root causes of violence and human rights abuses. The group also called for a “full-fledged U.N. mission” to be deployed in Haiti.

“Even when fully staffed and resourced, security measures alone will not suffice to address this situation,” the organization wrote.

“Any meaningful strategy should include effective protection for victims of violence, credible pathways for disengagement from criminal groups, accountability for abuses, and a coordinated humanitarian response to help restore access to basic goods and services.”

BRASILIA — A panel of justices on Brazil’s Supreme Court moved Tuesday to convict Eduardo Bolsonaro, the son of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, on charges that he sought interference from the United States in the ongoing trial surrounding his father’s alleged coup plot.

The vote was largely one-sided, with three out of four justices on the panel casting votes in favor of conviction. The fourth and final justice on the panel had not yet cast a vote as of the report.

The case centers on Eduardo Bolsonaro’s efforts to draw U.S. involvement into the legal proceedings against his father last year.

DAKAR, Senegal — Congo’s opposition forces are pushing back hard against a newly passed bill that critics say is designed to keep President Félix Tshisekedi in power beyond his current term limits.

The Senate approved the measure on Monday, following an earlier vote in the National Assembly. The bill now sits on President Tshisekedi’s desk awaiting his signature. If signed into law, it would create a path for a national referendum on a new constitution — one under which Tshisekedi’s past terms in office would not be counted, essentially starting his term clock over from scratch.

Tshisekedi, who is 62 years old, has held the presidency since 2019. He has publicly stated his intention to pursue a third term, but only if voters give their approval through a referendum. As of now, no date for such a vote has been announced.

Congo’s current constitution explicitly prohibits any changes to presidential term limits. The new bill gets around that restriction by allowing the president to amend the constitution if a “major dysfunction” is determined to be paralyzing the country’s governmental institutions.

The central African nation is currently grappling with a number of serious crises, including an active Ebola outbreak and an intensifying conflict with the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group — just one of more than 100 armed factions fighting for dominance in the country’s eastern provinces.

Congo’s next presidential election is scheduled for 2028. Tshisekedi stated last month that the country will not be in a position to organize or hold elections until the ongoing conflict is resolved and stability is restored.

Notably, both the Senate and National Assembly votes were conducted without opposition lawmakers present. Those legislators had walked out weeks earlier as a form of protest against the legislation.

Senate President Jean-Michel Sama Lukondé praised the outcome of the vote, saying it gives the Congolese people a structure through which to “exercise their sovereignty” via a referendum.

Congo’s major opposition parties, which have been at odds with one another in recent years, united in May under a coalition known as C64, or Coalition Article 64, specifically to fight the bill. The coalition has characterized the legislation as Tshisekedi’s attempt to hold onto power indefinitely.

Prominent opposition figure Martin Fayulu made his position clear during a coalition news conference on Tuesday. “Tshisekedi has betrayed his oath to respect the constitution and is therefore worthless,” Fayulu declared.

Fayulu also announced that the coalition plans to march to the presidential palace on July 8, calling for Tshisekedi’s resignation.

The legislative votes came just days after violent confrontations broke out at a protest against the bill in Congo’s capital city of Kinshasa. Several people were injured in those clashes, among them opposition leaders Martin Fayulu, Jean-Marc Kabund, and Delly Sesanga.

Toronto police announced Tuesday that they have connected several shootings in the city — including a March attack on the U.S. Consulate — to what they describe as “multilayered” gun-for-hire networks. Those same networks are also believed to be behind shootings targeting synagogues in the city.

At a news conference, Toronto Police Chief Myron Demkiw explained that young adults are being recruited through encrypted messaging platforms and paid to carry out the attacks. To receive payment, the shooters are required to record the incidents on video. Investigators have recovered several of the weapons used in the attacks.

“What we know is bad actors are using criminal elements in our city to carry out these dangerous incidents,” Demkiw said. “It is clear that some of the people hiring these criminals want to create a sense of fear in our communities, including the Jewish community.”

A veteran Toronto police officer lost his life last week during a search operation connected to the investigation. Constable Marc Pinizzotto, 43, was shot Thursday when officers executed a search warrant at an apartment building in the northwestern part of the city. He was transported to a hospital, where he later died.

A 19-year-old suspect, Nicholas Bennett, was shot by police during the incident and remains hospitalized. He is expected to face a charge of first-degree murder.

Authorities are also actively searching for a second suspect, 19-year-old Zara Jabbi, who is wanted in connection with the U.S. Consulate shooting. Police consider Jabbi to be armed and dangerous.

Demkiw said Toronto police are working alongside the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the FBI to identify who is funding the attacks. Two firearms recovered during the investigation — believed to be connected to more than 25 shootings across the Toronto area — were traced back to the United States. Ballistics testing on those weapons is still ongoing.

World leaders gathered at the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France are weighing a plan that would allow a select group of so-called “trusted partners” to gain access to top-tier American artificial intelligence models, three diplomatic sources revealed Tuesday.

The discussions follow a decision made last week by Washington to cut off foreign nationals from Anthropic’s most advanced AI models, a move the U.S. government justified on national security grounds.

According to one of the sources, a number of delegates raised the idea during informal conversations with U.S. representatives — primarily U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick — on the sidelines of the G7’s opening dinner at the French lakeside resort.

A second source, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are still ongoing, said the “trusted partners” in question could include both countries and private companies.

A third source confirmed that no official statement regarding the proposed framework was anticipated Wednesday, even as technology-related issues were scheduled to be part of the day’s G7 agenda.

Cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about one specific Anthropic model called Mythos, which is designed to identify weaknesses in computer code. They warn it could significantly amplify attacks on banks’ technology systems. The model has not yet been made available to any European banks, and the European Union has been seeking access to Mythos to better understand its potential implications.

The Financial Times was first to report on the “trusted partners” proposal.

DUBAI — A massive $300 billion private investment fund is embedded in the framework agreement between the United States and Iran, and more than half of that money has already been committed, according to a source with firsthand knowledge of the deal who spoke to Reuters.

The fund is intended to give both nations a financial reason to push through to a final agreement, the source said, speaking anonymously because the plan had not yet been publicly announced as both sides prepared to sign on Friday.

U.S. and Iranian officials announced Sunday that they had reached a framework to end their war — which began when American and Israeli forces struck Iran on February 28 — halt the U.S. naval blockade of Iran, and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, a critical corridor for the world’s oil and gas supply.

The fund is structured as a private investment vehicle, not a government aid or reparations program. No public money or grants will be involved, the source said. Companies from the United States, Gulf Arab nations, Asia, South America, and Africa have already pledged financing, with commitments spanning the energy, logistics, manufacturing, and transportation sectors.

A senior Iranian source told Reuters that Tehran had originally pushed for $400 billion in compensation for war damages, but Washington refused. The idea for what is now being called the Reconstruction and Development Fund grew out of those stalled negotiations.

Under the proposed structure, regional countries would participate in various ways — through loans, credit lines, or direct funding to rebuild sites damaged during the conflict. Among the facilities cited are the Mobarakeh Steel complex, refineries, airports, and broader infrastructure destroyed in the war.

Iran is one of the Middle East’s largest economies but has attracted virtually no significant foreign investment over the past four decades, having been shut out of global capital markets by repeated rounds of U.S. and international sanctions. The country holds the world’s second-largest proven natural gas reserves and fourth-largest proven oil reserves. It also has a young and educated population of more than 92 million, a diverse industrial base, and significant untapped potential in sectors including petrochemicals, mining, tourism, and agriculture.

The source stressed that the investment fund is completely separate from ongoing negotiations over lifting U.S. sanctions and unfreezing Iranian assets held abroad, describing the two as distinct financial mechanisms with different purposes and timelines.

The fund will not be established or begin operating until a final, satisfactory agreement is signed. The memorandum of understanding, once executed, is designed to structure the next 60 days of negotiations.

NABATIYEH, Lebanon — In the early morning hours of Tuesday, a woman named Aida Jleilati and her daughter began sifting through the wreckage of what used to be their home in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatiyeh, salvaging whatever survived an Israeli airstrike that hit in late May.

The two women were part of a small wave of residents who made their way back to the city after news broke of an agreement between the United States and Iran to bring their conflict to a close. Iranian officials have stated that the deal will also require an end to the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

While the violence in southern Lebanon has not fully ceased, strikes have become less frequent since the U.S.-Iran agreement was announced, giving many displaced residents a window to go back and assess the damage to their homes.

Jleilati and her 22-year-old daughter, Sukaina al-Muhtadi, had been living on the ground floor of a three-story, six-unit apartment building that was completely destroyed in the strike. Jleilati was able to recover most of her husband’s scuba diving gear along with some clothing. Her daughter’s main priority was locating a photo album filled with pictures from her childhood.

“What can I say? All that we have gathered in our life has been wasted,” Jleilati said. She noted that the family first learned their home was gone on May 26, when al-Muhtadi spotted images of the destroyed building on a social media platform.

Since the beginning of the latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, Nabatiyeh — a city with ancient roots — has endured relentless airstrikes and shelling that have left scores of people dead or wounded.

The city’s once-thriving marketplace has been heavily damaged. On Tuesday, several bulldozers were clearing away rubble and debris as some residents returned in the wake of the late Sunday agreement between the U.S. and Iran.

Jleilati and other returning residents expressed doubt about whether the truce will hold, pointing to previous ceasefires that first took effect on April 17 but quickly broke down as both Israel and Hezbollah continued their attacks.

In recent weeks, Israeli ground forces have advanced deep into southern Lebanon, pushing to within about 4 kilometers — roughly 2.5 miles — southeast of Nabatiyeh, a city that has served as a regional trade center for centuries. The city is well known for its Monday market, where people from surrounding villages traditionally gathered to sell their goods.

Nabatiyeh has long held historical and cultural significance. Since Lebanon was established in 1920 following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the city and its surrounding area have been a hub for Shiite religious and cultural life, with strong ties to the holy cities of Najaf and Karbala in present-day Iraq. Historically, the city served as the capital of the predominantly Shiite Jabal Amel region, and some of its religious scholars traveled to Iran in the 16th century, playing a role in helping the country’s Safavid rulers convert much of the population to Shiite Islam.

Nabatiyeh is also one of Lebanon’s most prominent centers for the observance of Ashoura, a solemn Shiite commemoration marking the 7th-century martyrdom of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson. The ten-day mourning period, which concludes on the 10th day of the Muslim month of Muharram, was set to begin on Wednesday.

At the heart of the city, 75-year-old Kamel al-Kamel stood in stunned silence before the charred remains of his business — a supermarket and coffee roastery — housed in a century-old building that had crumbled to the ground. Walking with a cane, al-Kamal estimated his losses at $2.5 million. He said that compared to every previous conflict he has lived through — including Lebanon’s 15-year civil war that began in 1975, Israel’s 1982 invasion, and multiple rounds of Israel-Hezbollah fighting — this latest war has been the most devastating.

“Thank God we are still alive,” he said, recounting how he wept as he walked back into Nabatiyeh on Thursday.

Another returning resident, Samar Zuraik, was relieved to find her home still standing, though it sustained damage that will require repairs. But she said no amount of material recovery could make up for the loss of her 27-year-old son Ali, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the outskirts of the city.

Zuraik said that despite the Iran-U.S. agreement, Nabatiyeh remains uninhabitable right now — still under fire and without electricity, phone service, or internet access.

“I wish I lost my house and my son stayed alive,” she said.

The Nabatiyeh area is home to three major hospitals. The oldest, Najdeh El Chaabiyeh Hospital on the edge of the city, treated hundreds of people wounded during the latest conflict. The hospital’s medical director, Dr. Shafi Fouani, said the current war was comparable in intensity to the previous conflict in 2024.

“It was a very harsh war,” he said of the latest round of fighting, which he said broke out on March 2 after Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel — two days after the U.S. and Israel launched attacks against Iran. He said the hospital recorded roughly 500 deaths and treated close to 1,200 patients during the conflict, with some of the most critically injured being transferred to medical facilities in Beirut or the southern city of Sidon.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports that more than 3,800 people have been killed in Lebanon during the latest fighting. According to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, 30 Israeli soldiers and one defense contractor have been killed in or near southern Lebanon, and two civilians have died in northern Israel.

On Tuesday, Israeli forces fired artillery toward the outskirts of Nabatiyeh while Hezbollah launched rockets at Israeli positions near the city. The sounds of explosions were clearly audible throughout Nabatiyeh as Israeli troops continued efforts to seize the Ali Taher hill, a strategic high point overlooking much of the city. Lebanese military forces closed certain roads leading to areas where Israeli troops are operating inside Lebanon.

As Jleilati and her daughter picked through the ruins of their former home, al-Muhtadi came across a watch her mother had given her as a young girl. The two women planned to return later Tuesday to a suburb of Beirut where they have been sheltering, saying they are waiting to see whether the truce holds before coming back to Nabatiyeh to rent an apartment while their building is eventually rebuilt.

“We cannot live outside Nabatiyeh,” al-Muhtadi said.

Hezbollah announced Tuesday that it believes Iran will walk away from any final nuclear agreement with Washington if Israel does not first pull its troops out of Lebanon. The statement came on the same day Iran’s foreign minister warned that Israel’s continued military presence in the country would be treated as a breach of the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding.

Israeli forces continue to hold a portion of southern Lebanon captured during a three-month military campaign — combining air and ground operations — against Hezbollah. That offensive launched after the Iran-backed group opened fire on Israel on March 2 in a show of support for Tehran.

While the level of fighting in Lebanon dropped considerably following the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding, it has not come to a complete halt. Israel has stated its soldiers will remain in southern Lebanon for the time being.

Hezbollah has strongly opposed Israel’s ongoing occupation of that territory. The group’s media office said Tuesday that it understands Iran intends to push for an Israeli withdrawal during the next phase of U.S.-Iran negotiations — talks that are scheduled to begin after the two countries formally sign their memorandum of understanding this coming Friday.

Those upcoming discussions are expected to tackle some of the most contentious issues, including the future direction of Iran’s nuclear program.

“We believe there will be no nuclear deal between Iran and the United States if Israel does not withdraw,” Hezbollah’s media office told Reuters. The statement marked the first time the group has directly tied an Israeli military pullout to the outcome of a potential nuclear agreement.

Hezbollah clarified that an Israeli withdrawal would be an outcome of those negotiations — not a condition that must be met before talks begin. The group also said it has received assurances from Iran that any Israeli violation of the Lebanon ceasefire would have consequences for the upcoming diplomatic process.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi stated Tuesday that a true end to the broader regional conflict must include a resolution in Lebanon — specifically what he called “the end of the occupation” of Lebanese land.

“Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they have occupied in this war, a full end to the war has not been achieved,” Araqchi said.

He went further, stating that any Israeli military strike on Lebanon or continued occupation of Lebanese territory “will, in our view, be considered a violation of the memorandum of understanding.”

LONDON — Britain’s Defense Ministry has launched an investigation after a U.K.-registered yacht reported being fired upon by a Russian naval vessel in the English Channel on Tuesday.

According to the ministry, the yacht reported that a Russian warship fired warning shots from approximately 500 yards — or about 460 meters — away. The encounter took place roughly 20 miles, or about 30 kilometers, south of the Isle of Wight, in waters beyond the United Kingdom’s territorial boundary.

No one aboard the yacht was injured, and the vessel sustained no damage. The Russian government had not responded to requests for comment as of the time of the report.

British media identified the Russian vessel as the frigate Admiral Grigorovich. Russian warships traveling through the English Channel are typically shadowed by the Royal Navy, and the patrol vessel HMS Mersey was already keeping watch on the Russian ship when the reported incident unfolded.

The episode came just two days after British commandos boarded and seized a sanctioned tanker in the Channel suspected of belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet.” Officials have stated they are not connecting the two incidents.

The captain of that tanker — an Indian national accused of transporting Russian oil in defiance of international sanctions tied to Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine — was ordered held in custody following a court appearance on Tuesday.

This latest incident is part of a broader pattern of tense encounters between British and Russian forces in the region. In November, the British military put Moscow on notice that it was prepared to respond to any intrusion into its territory, after the Russian spy ship Yantar was spotted near the edge of U.K. waters north of Scotland.

Then in April, Britain and Norway announced they had spent several weeks tracking a Russian attack submarine and two spy submarines operating north of the United Kingdom. A Royal Navy frigate, supporting aircraft, and hundreds of personnel were involved in the operation. Then-Defense Secretary John Healey said the effort successfully stopped the Russian vessels from carrying out “nefarious” activities targeting underwater infrastructure.

Healey also accused Moscow of exploiting the distraction created by the Iran war to escalate its hostile activities against Europe.

The current incident echoes a similar event from five years ago, when Russia claimed one of its warships fired warning shots and a military aircraft dropped bombs in the Black Sea to drive away the British destroyer HMS Defender from waters near Crimea that Moscow considers its own territory. The United Kingdom rejected that account, denying its ship had been fired upon. It marked the first time since the Cold War that Russia acknowledged deploying live ammunition to warn off a NATO warship — an episode that unfolded roughly six months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Israel’s Knesset House Committee voted Monday to recommend shielding Likud lawmaker Tally Gotliv from criminal prosecution, handing the governing coalition an early win in its push to keep charges against her out of court. The 11-to-3 vote is not the final word — the full Knesset must still weigh in and decide whether Gotliv deserves protection from prosecution over accusations that she exposed classified information tied to a current Shin Bet employee. The case has grown into a broader clash over the boundaries of parliamentary immunity, national security confidentiality, and the power of the attorney general.

The charges stem from an indictment approved by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara in May, accusing Gotliv of disclosing and publishing restricted information in violation of the Shin Bet law. Prosecutors allege the material she published identified the partner of anti-government protest figure Shikma Bressler as a Shin Bet employee and connected him to claims surrounding the October 7 attacks. Israeli security officials have disputed those claims, and prosecutors maintain that what Gotliv did was not a spontaneous comment during parliamentary debate, but rather a deliberate act carried out repeatedly.

Gotliv tells a very different story. She contends she was acting in her capacity as an elected official, pursuing what she describes as unresolved questions about the October 7 attacks and the behavior of state institutions. Her immunity request rests on the argument that her actions were part of her duties as a member of Knesset and that allowing a criminal case to proceed would undermine her ability to serve her constituents. Her stance has transformed the hearing into a broader test of the coalition’s position that lawmakers must be free to challenge legal and security institutions without the threat of criminal charges hanging over them.

The legal protections available to Gotliv are more limited than the political argument surrounding them. Under Israeli law, a lawmaker who receives a draft indictment from the attorney general may ask the Knesset to block the case from being filed for as long as the current parliament is seated. This is a procedural shield — it does not mean the allegations have been found to be without merit.

A separate, broader form of immunity covers actions or statements made in the course of parliamentary duties and can remain in place even after a lawmaker leaves office. The central question now before the Knesset is whether Gotliv’s alleged actions fall within those protections, or whether the indictment should be allowed to move forward in court.

A legal memo prepared for committee members noted that immunity hearings are meant to function as quasi-judicial proceedings, with members expected to weigh the arguments from both the lawmaker and the attorney general and reach a decision based on the law rather than party loyalty. In reality, Monday’s vote broke along predictable political lines — coalition members supported Gotliv, while opposition members voted against granting immunity.

Those opposed to the committee’s decision argue the case involves more than political speech. Both the Shin Bet employee’s attorney and the Movement for Quality Government urged the committee to turn down Gotliv’s request, saying the alleged disclosures were planned, repeated, and well outside the normal scope of parliamentary activity.

Critics of the move warn that if the Knesset ultimately grants immunity, it could set a troubling precedent allowing political majorities to halt security-related prosecutions before they ever reach a judge. The next step is a vote by the full Knesset, where the coalition must decide whether to complete the immunity process or allow the indictment to proceed.

If the full Knesset approves immunity, the charges will be put on hold for the duration of the current parliament’s term, barring a change in circumstances. If the plenum votes against it, the attorney general will be free to formally file the indictment and Gotliv will face the case as a criminal defendant rather than solely as a lawmaker waging a political fight.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Monday that Pakistan helped bring about a landmark peace agreement between the United States and Iran, with a formal signing ceremony scheduled for Friday, June 19, in Switzerland.

Speaking before the National Assembly, Sharif declared that “after the darkness of war, the sun of peace has risen,” noting that both Iran and the United States had agreed to stop all military operations immediately.

Sharif extended his congratulations to US President Donald Trump, Iran’s Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian for reaching the accord. He also expressed gratitude to Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for their contributions to making the agreement possible.

The Pakistani prime minister also pointed to Chinese President Xi Jinping’s important role in pushing the agreement forward. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian confirmed Beijing’s support, telling reporters that China welcomes the deal and holds Pakistan’s mediation efforts in high regard.

Sharif described the recognition Pakistan has received for its peacemaking role as unprecedented, calling the agreement far more than a bilateral deal. In his words, it represents “a victory for peace and dialogue.”

He praised both the American and Iranian leaderships for showing patience and wisdom throughout the difficult negotiation process, stating: “Today, as a result of these efforts, the entire world is witnessing this historic day.”

Sharif had first broken the news late Sunday night in a post on the social media platform X, writing: “After prolonged and productive negotiations, a peace agreement has been reached between the United States and Iran. The formal signing ceremony of the agreement will be held on Friday, June 19, in Switzerland.”

He noted that the deal covers an immediate and permanent end to military operations on all fronts, Lebanon included, and thanked both nations for choosing a diplomatic path to resolve the conflict.

The announcement drew widespread praise from world leaders, many of whom called it a major breakthrough for both regional stability and global diplomacy. Pakistan’s role as a mediator drew particular attention, with observers crediting Islamabad for bringing both sides to the negotiating table.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres offered his congratulations to both countries, describing the agreement as “a highly important step toward the peaceful resolution of the conflict” and calling it a rare encouraging moment for diplomacy amid heightened global tensions.

Guterres also acknowledged the countries that helped make the deal happen, saying: “I am deeply grateful to Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other regional countries for their constructive role in the success of these negotiations.”

The Islamic State announced Tuesday that it was behind a deadly assault on a Syrian interior ministry camp located in the city of Raqqa, which took place the day before.

According to Syria’s Interior Ministry, one of its security personnel lost their life during the Monday incident, in which two Islamic State militants attempted to storm a command headquarters belonging to the country’s internal security forces in Raqqa. Syrian forces were ultimately able to repel the attack.

An Israeli airstrike claimed the lives of at least two Palestinians in the central Gaza Strip on Monday, health officials reported, while Israeli ground forces extended their reach deeper into a northern Gaza neighborhood, sending families scrambling to escape.

According to medics, the strike hit near a residential building in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing two brothers identified as Ahmed and Mahmoud Abu Heen. The Israeli military offered no immediate response to requests for comment.

A ceasefire brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump in October 2025 has not succeeded in stopping Israeli military operations in Gaza, nor has it brought about the disarmament of Hamas militants.

With these latest fatalities, the death toll among Palestinians from Israeli strikes since October has climbed to nearly 1,000, according to the Gaza health ministry. Israel reports that four of its own soldiers have been killed by militants during that same stretch of time.

Amid the ongoing violence, Nickolay Mladenov, Trump’s Board of Peace envoy for Gaza, traveled to Cairo to advance negotiations. Sources familiar with the discussions say mediators from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey have been meeting with Hamas leadership regarding the second phase of Trump’s Gaza plan. That plan calls for Hamas to surrender its weapons and for Israeli forces to withdraw — terms that both sides have so far been unable to agree upon.

Israeli troops currently hold more than 60% of Gaza’s land, areas from which civilians have been ordered to leave and where structures have been demolished. On May 28, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly confirmed he had instructed the military to push that figure to 70%.

Witnesses in southern Gaza report that over recent days, Israeli forces have pushed the boundaries of the so-called “Yellow Zone” — the areas under their control — outward into eastern Khan Younis and northern Rafah, where new boundary markers and concrete barriers have appeared.

On Sunday, Israeli tanks rolled further into the Al-Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City in the north, compelling multiple families to abandon their homes. Video footage captured on Monday showed yellow boundary blocks that had been repositioned closer to residential buildings.

“I swear we don’t know where to go,” said Umm Muhammad Junaynah, a resident of Al-Tuffah, visibly struggling to hold back tears as she gathered her belongings. “We are getting our furniture out, we don’t know where to go. We don’t know where to go, we have nowhere to go.”

Almost all of Gaza’s roughly 2 million residents — the majority of whom have already been uprooted multiple times — are now crowded into a narrow coastal strip, living in makeshift tents or partially destroyed buildings under Hamas control.

Nour Shabat, a 27-year-old woman from Al-Tuffah, described the terror of Sunday night. “It was a night of terror, we were scared,” she said.

Gaza has been reduced to rubble over the course of a two-year Israeli military campaign that began following Hamas’s 2023 attack on southern Israel.

Shabat expressed her exhaustion with the repeated upheaval. “I’m tired of displacement, honestly I’m tired of displacement. What is our fault that this is happening to us?” she said. “Should I take my belongings, myself and go sleep in the street? I have slept in the streets many times and I have been displaced many times. I’m tired and can’t handle anymore. Enough, I am tired.”

FLORENCE, Italy — Two of the most recognizable paintings from the Italian Renaissance have been given a fresh new layout at Florence’s celebrated Uffizi Gallery, as the museum continues its efforts to improve the visitor experience.

Beginning Tuesday, guests at Italy’s most visited museum will find Sandro Botticelli’s “The Birth of Venus” displayed in one room, with “Primavera” visible by simply turning around — hanging on the opposite wall in an adjacent space.

The reorganization comes under the direction of Uffizi director Simone Verde, who stepped into the role in January 2024 and has been guiding the museum through a broader renovation process.

Verde described the updated Botticelli rooms as a bridge between the museum’s storied past and its future vision. “The Botticelli rooms seek to present visitors with the Uffizi of the future, while keeping its feet firmly on the ground and its roots deeply planted in the history of this extraordinary museum,” he said.

The two paintings had most recently been displayed side by side on neighboring walls, giving visitors a simultaneous view of both works. In earlier decades, the paintings faced each other across a single room — an arrangement that contributed to overcrowding and made it difficult for guests to fully appreciate either piece.

PARIS (AP) — For weeks, a dark mountain-like structure towered over the Seine River where Paris’ oldest bridge normally stands. On Monday evening, the doors to that structure swung open to the public.

Stepping inside, visitors immediately notice that Paris smells different. The air carries the scent of wet earth, aged stone, damp cellar walls, and a faint hint of smoke.

From the bright riverfront, guests enter a dim corridor lined with illuminated photographs of caves, while a low electronic rhythm seems to pulse through the surrounding walls.

Underfoot, the original cobblestones of the Pont Neuf still rise and fall with every step.

The installation, called the Pont Neuf Cavern, is the work of French street artist JR — sometimes referred to as the French Banksy. It is free to enter at any hour of the day and will remain open through June 28.

Constructed primarily from printed fabric and air, the structure converts the 17th-century bridge into a simulated cavern that reaches 18 meters — roughly 59 feet — above the Seine.

“It feels like the city has disappeared,” said Léa Martin, a 22-year-old art student from Lyon who visited on Tuesday. “You know the river is right outside, but for a moment you’re somewhere ancient.”

The scent experience is a deliberate and central part of the illusion. Olfactory expert Sarah Bouasse designed two evolving fragrances drawing on geosmin and isoborneol — chemical compounds linked to the smell produced when rain falls on dry ground.

The scent shifts as visitors cross the bridge: beginning with wet soil and mineral dampness, it gradually transitions into something warmer, smokier, and faintly animal in nature.

“Usually I cross here without looking up once,” said Michel Dupré, a 67-year-old retiree, as he blinked stepping back into daylight. “Today I felt the stones under my feet. And smelled them too. It makes you walk like a child again.”

Adding to the atmosphere is a sound installation by Thomas Bangalter, formerly one half of the French electronic music duo Daft Punk. His composition fills the cavern with deep rumbles, echoes, and rhythmic pulses.

The Pont Neuf was completed in 1607 and, despite its name translating to “New Bridge,” remains the oldest bridge still standing in Paris.

JR’s creation invites people to experience this familiar crossing in a completely new way — through their sense of smell, hearing, and touch.

The installation also serves as a tribute to artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who in 1985 wrapped the Pont Neuf in pale golden fabric, drawing an estimated 3 million visitors. That project bathed the bridge in light. JR’s version takes visitors into darkness.

“You enter into the darkness,” JR has said, “and emerge into the light on the other side.”

Those who wish can hold up their phones to unlock an augmented-reality layer developed with tech company Snap. Through the screen, digital bats streak light across the cave, passing visitors leave ghostly impressions, and a dancer appears to materialize out of thin air.

JR has connected the work to Plato’s allegory of the cave — the ancient philosophical idea that prisoners mistake shadows for reality. In his view, today’s cave walls are the screens and algorithms that filter what people perceive. Even so, the most powerful moments in the installation require no phone at all.

“It’s completely strange,” said Nadia Benali, 34, smiling near the artificial cliff walls. “Paris needs things that make people stop.”

Once the installation closes, its fabric materials will be reused or recycled. The mountain-like structure will disappear, traffic will resume, and the Pont Neuf — a bridge older than the French Revolution itself — will once again stand open to the sky.

WARSAW, Poland — A 44-year-old Russian artist who openly criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin was shot and killed at close range outside his home in the eastern Polish city of Biala Podlaska, according to prosecutors who announced the news Tuesday.

Polish media identified the victim as Robert Kuzovkov, though prosecutors referred to him only as Robert K., as required under Polish privacy laws. He worked under the pseudonym Semyon Skrepetsky.

Two Belarusian nationals, ages 37 and 33, were taken into custody near the Belarusian Consulate following the Monday morning attack.

Prosecutors described the victim as an artist who, through his work, “expressed criticism of the current policies of the Russian authorities.” His paintings included unflattering portrayals of Putin, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, and other senior Russian officials. One piece depicted Putin being held in the arms of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.

Just the day before his death, the artist had posted a video to his YouTube channel showing him in Berlin placing a Russian flag into a trash can on June 12 — the holiday commemorating Russian sovereignty.

Prosecutors said an unidentified man approached the artist near his home at approximately 9:45 a.m., fired two shots, then shot him three additional times at close range before fleeing the scene. The victim died at the scene from gunshot wounds to the head, chest, and back.

Polish prosecutors have not linked the killing to the Russian government, and Poland’s Internal Security Agency did not respond to a request for comment.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the country has faced repeated accusations of attempting to eliminate political opponents on foreign soil, including alleged plots targeting exiled activists in France and Lithuania. German officials have also disrupted alleged plots against the head of a German arms supplier to Ukraine and a Ukrainian military official.

In 2024, Polish authorities arrested a man in connection with an alleged plot to assassinate Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That same year, a Russian helicopter pilot who had defected was killed in Spain, with Russian operatives considered the prime suspects.

Nigeria is intensifying its legal offensive against Islamist militancy, with hundreds of additional suspects now facing prosecution in what officials describe as a continued push to stamp out terrorism, the country’s Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi announced Tuesday.

The West African nation has been battling a 17-year insurgency driven by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, known as ISWAP, primarily in the country’s northeastern region. Aid organizations report the violence has left thousands dead and forced at least 2 million people from their homes.

Fagbemi said 84 additional suspects were scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, joining roughly 490 others who have already been brought before a federal court in Abuja since Monday. An additional 102 cases were carried over from a prior round of proceedings.

“The message is to let everybody know that terrorism in whatever shape or form is not to be condoned or tolerated,” Fagbemi said.

This week’s proceedings mark the fourth phase of terrorism trials held under President Bola Tinubu. Over the past decade, large-scale mass trials have become a central tool in the Nigerian government’s strategy to combat militant activity.

In April, authorities announced that 386 suspected Islamist militants had been convicted, receiving sentences that ranged from five years in prison to life behind bars.

PARIS — World leaders representing the G7 nations issued a joint demand Tuesday for a powerful and well-coordinated effort to combat the Ebola outbreak currently affecting Congo, pressing other countries to contribute resources toward stopping the virus from spreading further.

In a formal statement, the leaders said, “We continue to closely monitor the situation as it evolves, along with our partners, to ensure that this dangerous virus does not spread, including across borders.”

BEIJING — China’s embassy in the United Kingdom has filed a formal protest with British authorities following London’s announcement of new sanctions that include four Chinese entities accused of providing key military supplies to Russia.

In a statement posted on the embassy’s website, officials called on Britain to acknowledge and correct what they described as a “mistake” and to pull back the sanctions. The embassy also warned that China would take whatever steps are needed to defend the rights and interests of its businesses.

“On the Ukraine crisis, China has consistently promoted peace talks and strictly controlled exports of dual-use goods,” an embassy spokesperson said in the statement. “Normal exchanges and cooperation between China and Russia should not be disrupted or affected.”

The latest British sanctions package, unveiled on Tuesday, takes aim at Russia’s network of so-called “shadow” ships and financial channels used to evade existing restrictions. It also targets suppliers of critical military equipment to Russia operating in China, Thailand, and Turkey.

China emerged as the fastest-growing market for goods from Latin America and the Caribbean during the first three months of 2026, according to a report released Tuesday by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). Despite that rapid growth, the United States continued to hold its position as the region’s dominant trading partner.

The IDB report found that Latin American exports to China jumped 25% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Exports to the rest of Asia climbed 24%, those heading to the European Union increased 19%, and shipments to the U.S. rose 14%.

“The United States contributed most to the total increase in Latin American and Caribbean exports, whilst China and the rest of Asia showed the greatest dynamism,” the IDB stated in its report.

U.S. dominance in the region is largely tied to its trade relationships with Mexico and Central America, while China tends to lead as a trading partner across much of South America.

On the import side, goods flowing from China into Latin America surged 29%, compared to a more modest 4% increase in U.S. exports to the region. Even so, the U.S. share of Latin American imports climbed to a record level approaching 22%, while China’s share dipped slightly to 9.6%.

Overall, Latin American exports grew nearly 16% in the first quarter of 2026 compared to the same stretch of 2025 — double the 8% annual growth rate seen throughout all of 2025. Rising prices and higher volumes of key regional commodities fueled that growth.

Gold prices soared 64% between January and April, as investors turned to the precious metal as a safe-haven asset during times of financial uncertainty. Copper, oil, soybean, and iron ore prices also increased, though more modestly. Meanwhile, coffee and sugar prices dropped by more than 20%.

The conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran pushed fuel prices higher, dealing a significant blow to countries that rely heavily on energy imports. Even nations that export oil and benefited from higher revenues felt the pinch through increased fertilizer and freight costs.

In Venezuela, total exports declined 8.7% during the first quarter of 2026, even as shipments to the U.S. ticked up slightly. That modest uptick followed the U.S. capture of President Nicolas Maduro at the beginning of the year and the imposition of significant oversight over the OPEC nation’s oil sector.

The IDB cautioned that “instability in global trade policies and the proliferation of geopolitical conflicts are creating a high degree of uncertainty,” while noting this environment presents “both risks and opportunities for the region.”

Singer Bonnie Tyler has regained consciousness after being placed in an induced coma, but the Grammy-nominated pop star is still in intensive care and described as “very unwell,” according to a statement posted Monday on her official website.

The 75-year-old vocalist was admitted to a hospital in Faro, Portugal — where she currently resides — last month for emergency intestinal surgery. Following the procedure, doctors placed her in an induced coma as part of her treatment.

The update offered cautious optimism, noting that while her condition is heading in the right direction, the road ahead will not be quick. “Although her condition is improving it is a slow process. Her doctors remain confident that she will make a good recovery but it is going to take time,” the statement read.

All of Tyler’s scheduled performances through August have been either canceled or postponed. However, her team expressed hope that fall concert dates would still go forward, saying, “we are still hopeful that our shows in the autumn will go ahead.”

Tyler earned a permanent place in pop culture history with her thunderous 1983 power ballad “Total Eclipse of the Heart,” a karaoke staple written by Jim Steinman — the producer and songwriter behind Meat Loaf’s music. The song continues to find new audiences every time a solar or lunar eclipse captures public attention.

Born and raised in Wales, the daughter of a coal miner first broke through in 1978 with the hit “It’s a Heartache” before achieving worldwide fame with “Total Eclipse of the Heart.”

British supermodel Naomi Campbell appeared before a London court on Tuesday, taking the stand in her effort to reverse an official ruling that prohibits her from serving as a charity trustee in England and Wales.

The UK’s charity regulator handed down a five-year disqualification against Campbell, 56, in 2024, citing serious financial mismanagement at Fashion for Relief, a charity she founded.

The Charity Commission revealed at the time that thousands of pounds from the charity’s funds were spent on a luxury hotel stay in Cannes, France, benefiting Campbell personally — including spa treatments, room service, and even cigarettes.

The regulator also found that only 8.5% of the charity’s total spending went toward charitable grants over a six-year span beginning in 2016.

Campbell filed an appeal against the ban last year, asserting that she had been a “victim of fraud and forgery.” In a written statement submitted ahead of her courtroom testimony Tuesday, she declared that she has “never undertaken philanthropic work for personal gain, nor will I ever do so.”

“My investigation has revealed identity fraud and deception and helps uncover why most of the funds weren’t used as intended,” she stated. “What my legal team has unearthed is shocking, involving fake email addresses and forged communications with the authorities.”

The Charity Commission’s findings also implicated fellow trustee Bianka Hellmich, who allegedly received approximately 290,000 pounds — roughly $385,000 — in unauthorized payments for consultancy services. Hellmich has been disqualified from serving as a trustee for nine years. A third trustee, Veronica Chou, received a four-year ban.

Fashion for Relief was established in 2015 with the goal of bringing together the fashion world to combat poverty and assist people impacted by natural disasters and other crises globally. The organization was dissolved and removed from the official charities register in 2024.

LONDON (AP) — Kensington Palace confirmed Tuesday that Britain’s Prince George will be heading to Eton College when the new school year begins this fall, walking the same path as his father, Prince William, before him.

For months, royal watchers had been buzzing with guesses about where the second in line to the throne would pursue his secondary education. Many had expected he might choose Marlborough College, the school where his mother, Princess Catherine, received her education.

The palace made it official with a straightforward statement: “Kensington Palace can confirm that Prince George will attend Eton College from this September.”

Eton is a boarding school with deep roots in British history, having been established in 1440 by King Henry VI. The school takes pride in its tradition of shaping the country’s future leaders, counting former Prime Ministers Robert Walpole, David Cameron, and Boris Johnson among its notable alumni. Beyond his father, Prince George’s uncle Prince Harry and his great-uncle, Earl Charles Spencer, are also Eton graduates. Students at the school continue to wear a distinctive traditional uniform consisting of tailcoats, stiff white collars, and pinstriped trousers.

Currently, the 12-year-old prince is enrolled at Lambrook, a private preparatory school located in Berkshire. His younger siblings — Princess Charlotte, age 11, and Prince Louis, age 8 — also attend Lambrook, which sits close to the family’s home in Windsor, to the west of London.

MADRID — The Spanish government announced Tuesday it has set aside €719 million, equivalent to approximately $834 million, to finance the construction of a major artificial intelligence gigafactory. Officials say the project is intended to cut down on the country’s dependence on overseas technology while keeping AI development in line with European Union standards.

The funding arrangement will give the government an ownership stake in a company formed specifically to enter Spain’s bid in the European Commission’s InvestAI initiative — a program that could unlock additional financial support for the project.

Spain plans to submit a proposal covering multiple locations, including sites in both Catalonia and Madrid.

According to government officials, the gigafactory is expected to give Spain and the broader European community access to advanced computing power, while also helping domestic businesses develop new technologies and sharpen their competitive edge.

Digital Transformation Minister Oscar Lopez emphasized that investing in high-performance computing infrastructure would open doors for Spanish scientists who currently struggle to access such resources due to high costs and limited availability.

MANILA, Philippines — During a state visit to the Philippines on Tuesday, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier voiced Europe’s growing alarm over escalating tensions in the South China Sea, cautioning that a serious flare-up in the region could threaten international shipping lanes — much like what occurred recently in the Strait of Hormuz.

Steinmeier appeared alongside Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in Manila, where he pointed to the Hormuz blockade — a consequence of the Iran war — as a stark warning of what could happen if territorial confrontations in the South China Sea are left unchecked. Those disputes have been especially heated between the Philippines and China.

Speaking through an interpreter, Steinmeier said, “The situation in the South China Sea … continues to be tense and that gives us cause to be concerned because the Indo-Pacific, in particular the region of Southeast Asia, is one of the most economically dynamic regions of the world.”

He went on to say, “If incidents occur in that part of the world that is also cause for great concern in Europe. Violations of the international law of the sea endanger the freedom of navigation as the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has brought home to us recently in a very drastic manner.”

The Hormuz closure, which triggered worldwide spikes in fuel and fertilizer prices, was among the topics the two leaders addressed in a private meeting.

While Steinmeier stopped short of assigning blame to any specific country for the South China Sea tensions, Germany has previously stated that China’s conduct in those disputed waters violates the rights of coastal nations like the Philippines and puts freedom of navigation at risk.

The United States, though it makes no territorial claims in the South China Sea, has repeatedly stated its obligation to defend the Philippines — its longest-standing treaty ally in Asia — should Filipino forces, ships, or aircraft face an armed attack. China has consistently warned the U.S. against involvement in the disputes, which also include competing claims from Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan.

During a 2024 visit to Manila, then-German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had also raised concerns about China’s actions, which have included minor collisions with Philippine vessels. She said such behavior “violate rights and opportunities for economic development of your own country and other littoral states” and declared that China’s claims “are not covered by international law.” Baerbock visited the Philippine coast guard headquarters and briefly operated a surveillance drone donated by Germany during that trip.

On Tuesday, Steinmeier pledged Germany’s ongoing backing for the Philippine coast guard, which has served as a frontline defender of Manila’s territorial interests and has been involved in multiple confrontations with Chinese forces at sea.

Marcos expressed gratitude to Steinmeier and Germany “for consistently and publicly expressing its support for Philippine efforts to uphold the rule of law in the South China Sea, including by calling on all parties to abide by the final and binding 2016 Arbitral Award.”

That 2016 ruling, grounded in the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea, struck down China’s sweeping territorial claims in the South China Sea. Beijing refused to take part in the arbitration process initiated by the Philippines, rejected the ruling’s outcome, and continues to ignore it.

BAGHDAD — Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is set to travel to Washington in mid-July as part of an effort to deepen the strategic relationship between Iraq and the United States, with a particular focus on economic partnerships, trade, and attracting investment, according to a government spokesperson.

Spokesperson Haider al-Aboudi characterized the upcoming trip as an initiative “to enhance the Iraqi-U.S. partnership based on mutual interests.”

“The government aims to broaden the horizons of our strategic partnership with global companies and stimulate an investment-friendly environment that contributes tangible benefits to the Iraqi economy while strengthening internal stability,” al-Aboudi told the state news agency.

Since assuming office in May, al-Zaidi has made it clear that revitalizing Iraq’s economy, drawing in foreign investors, and fighting corruption are top priorities for his administration.

Iraq is working to lessen its dependence on oil revenues while confronting long-standing issues such as high unemployment — particularly among younger Iraqis — and deteriorating infrastructure.

Al-Zaidi’s path forward is not without obstacles. He must contend with the influence of Iran-backed militias, deeply rooted corruption, and the delicate task of managing relationships with both Washington and Tehran simultaneously.

The announcement of the Washington visit comes shortly after the U.S. and Iran reached an interim agreement to bring an end to the conflict in the Middle East, a development that is expected to put al-Zaidi’s diplomatic balancing skills to the test.

Following his nomination for the prime ministerial role in April, al-Zaidi received a congratulatory message from U.S. President Donald Trump, who expressed hope for stronger cooperation between Baghdad and Washington.

The two countries are bound by a strategic framework agreement that addresses security, economic, and cultural cooperation. Even so, the relationship has faced periodic strain over issues including the presence of U.S. forces in Iraq, Baghdad’s ties with neighboring Iran, and American pressure on Iraq to rein in Iran-aligned armed factions.

Iceland’s finance minister is calling on the nation to pursue European Union membership, arguing it would bolster the country’s economy and security at a time of growing Arctic competition and international trade tensions.

On August 29, Icelanders will head to the polls to decide whether to restart EU membership talks with Brussels. The vote is not a direct referendum on joining the bloc — any finalized deal would require a separate public vote. Iceland had previously pursued membership negotiations but walked away from them in 2013 after a Eurosceptic government came to power.

Finance Minister Dadi Mar Kristofersson, whose party supports a “yes” vote, told Reuters that EU membership aligns with Iceland’s core interests. “I think that both our economic interests and our security interests are well served by membership,” he said.

He added: “The core values of a small open economy are always going to be free trade and a rules-based order, because we do not have the capacity to defend our interests by force.”

Kristofersson acknowledged that Iceland’s longstanding defense agreement with the United States, dating back to 1951, along with NATO membership, remain the bedrock of the country’s security. However, he noted that Trump’s threats to acquire Greenland had shifted the calculus somewhat. Those threats sparked one of the most serious transatlantic confrontations in recent memory, with the EU threatening broad economic countermeasures against Washington.

“We are the unsinkable aircraft carrier and we will remain the unsinkable aircraft carrier,” Kristofersson said, referring to Iceland’s strategic position between Greenland and Europe along one of the Atlantic’s most closely watched stretches of ocean. He also noted that the U.S. views its sphere of influence as extending beyond Iceland and Greenland — and that “is not going to change.”

Gylfi Zoega, an economics professor at the University of Iceland, said the pace of geopolitical change has been extraordinary. “Changes that might have unfolded over a decade had been compressed into 18 months under the Trump administration,” he said. “Europe is on its own. And then we have to decide whether to be a U.S. military base important for the defence of the U.S. homeland or be part of Europe. And that’s the big question.”

With a population of only 400,000, Iceland would be by far the smallest member of a bloc that represents 450 million people. Even so, the EU views Iceland as an appealing candidate given its geographic position and abundant fishing waters, though Brussels has been careful to avoid appearing to campaign ahead of the vote.

On the economic front, Iceland holds the distinction of being the most expensive country in the world, according to analysis by Viska, Iceland’s largest academic union. Its central bank interest rate currently stands at 7.75%. The island’s economy is driven primarily by fishing, aluminum production, and tourism — and its volcanic scenery has even served as a backdrop for the HBO series Game of Thrones.

The country’s Central Bank Governor recently pointed to lower transaction costs, increased competition, and reduced interest rates as potential benefits of adopting the euro, while cautioning that the transition could drive inflation and that significant labor market reforms would be needed regardless of the outcome.

Kristofersson echoed the optimism on interest rates. “Iceland will never become cheap, but … it might become cheaper,” he said. He also noted that the Icelandic crown is a small currency prone to volatility, and that EU membership would give Iceland three paths forward: letting the currency float freely, pegging it to the euro, or adopting the euro outright.

Not everyone is convinced. Opponents of membership contend that Iceland already benefits from access to the EU’s single market through its participation in the European Economic Area, without taking on the full responsibilities of membership. A major sticking point is fishing — a cornerstone of Iceland’s economy and cultural identity. Critics fear that joining the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy could force Iceland to open its waters to foreign fishing fleets, something the industry strongly opposes.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — At the Group of Seven summit of major industrialized nations, U.S. allies spent Tuesday pressing President Donald Trump to refocus attention on the war in Ukraine, which has now stretched past four years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion.

Recent weeks have seen the conflict in Ukraine overshadowed by the war between the U.S. and Iran. French President Emmanuel Macron, who is hosting the summit, said he intends to convince Trump to keep backing Ukraine and ramp up pressure on Russia in pursuit of a peace deal.

With the United States having scaled back its assistance to Ukraine under the Trump administration, France and its European partners have stepped up as the primary sources of both military equipment and financial support for Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy participated in a morning working session with G7 leaders, though the talks concluded quickly — lasting just 75 minutes, according to the French G7 presidency.

The Ukraine discussions followed Trump’s announcement of a deal to bring an end to the 3 1/2-month U.S. conflict with Iran. Trump confirmed Tuesday that he plans to sit down privately with Zelenskyy. He said he wants to shift his focus to Ukraine now, suggesting that Iran will soon be “back in the rearview mirror.” While he played down the war’s direct impact on the United States, he expressed sadness over the lives lost.

“The whole thing is ridiculous,” Trump told reporters. “So, yeah, I’m going to do whatever I can.”

On a related front, the United Kingdom unveiled a fresh round of sanctions aimed at the so-called “shadow fleet” Russia relies on to export oil and gas, along with the financial networks Moscow uses to dodge Western penalties. Among the vessels targeted are several ships recently acquired by Russia to move liquefied natural gas from its sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project. Last weekend, British forces seized a Russian shadow fleet ship in the English Channel — the first time such an action has taken place there.

Just hours before the G7 summit got underway, Russia unleashed hundreds of drones and dozens of missiles against Ukraine’s largest cities in an assault that left 11 people dead and set a religious landmark ablaze.

The strikes came after both Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke separately by phone with Trump on Sunday — the U.S. president’s 80th birthday. Those calls indicate Washington has not abandoned its diplomatic push to bring the fighting to an end, which began with Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

During his 2024 campaign to return to the White House, Trump boasted he could resolve the Russia-Ukraine war within 24 hours of taking office. He has since admitted the situation has turned out to be far more complicated than he originally believed.

In another development, Ukraine on Monday formally launched European Union membership negotiations, beginning a lengthy process that will demand significant political reforms from its government — all while the country continues to battle the Russian invasion. Ukraine views EU membership as a key security guarantee for its future stability once the war concludes. Membership in the NATO military alliance would offer even stronger guarantees, but the Trump administration has ruled that out, and many others are reluctant to admit Ukraine while the war is still ongoing.

The U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement has also drawn considerable attention at the summit. Trump held a private meeting with the Emir of Qatar and is scheduled to meet with the President of the United Arab Emirates later in the day. Neither Gulf nation is a G7 member, but Macron invited their leaders to attend the summit given the turbulent situation in the region.

Trump also voiced frustration over Israel’s continued military operations against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah in Lebanon, telling reporters he is “not happy with the way Israel has handled themselves with Lebanon and with Hezbollah.”

“They should have been able to deal with them faster,” Trump added. “It just goes on forever. And when that happens, it throws a negative light on the big deal. And that’s the deal with Iran.”

G7 leaders also gathered for a working lunch to address the broader Middle East situation, with the conversation expected to center on what comes next following the U.S.-Iran ceasefire.

In recent months, Trump has clashed with leaders from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy over his decision to go to war with Iran without consulting them. He has threatened consequences, including potentially pulling U.S. troops from all four countries — all NATO members — citing their lack of support.

Despite those tensions, U.S. allies are pushing for swift progress that could help ease the economic strain caused by rising oil prices tied to the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. Macron said France and other Western partners are “ready to take action very quickly” to help reopen the strait through peaceful means. France and the U.K. have been leading efforts to restore maritime security in the strait when conditions allow.

The G7 is made up of France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Several guest nations — including Brazil, India, Kenya, and South Korea — were also invited to take part in certain sessions of this summit.

ROVINJ, Croatia — A one-month-old pony named Mile has become the most unexpected resident in an apartment building in the northern Croatian coastal town of Rovinj.

Mile is staying temporarily in his owners’ fourth-floor unit because his mother rejected him shortly after he was born. On top of that, he required surgery to treat a life-threatening infection in neighboring Slovenia, where community members pitched in donations to help cover the medical bills. He now needs constant attention around the clock.

“Every two hours, we warm up his milk and feed him,” said owner Andjelka Josipovic. “If we forget to feed him, he wakes up, comes to us and rouses us up.”

Josipovic shares the one-bedroom apartment with her partner Kristijan Jelenic, her two sons, a dog — and now Mile.

The little pony has turned heads throughout the neighborhood, though not a single complaint has been filed.

Josipovic is optimistic about Mile’s chances for a full recovery. He has been eating well and has put on a kilogram — about 2.2 pounds. She described him as cheerful, with a “strong desire to suckle, eat, and fight.”

“The first night, the vet thought there was no hope and wanted to put him down,” Josipovic recalled. “I said, let’s try until the morning.”

The family operates a small ranch and a children’s playroom in Bale, roughly 15 kilometers — about 9 miles — from Rovinj, where llamas, pigs, horses, and sheep all call home.

During the day, Mile joins the other animals out at the ranch. But each evening, he makes the trip back to Rovinj — one of Croatia’s most visited tourist destinations — riding in the back seat of the family’s car. Once home, he settles in on either a mattress or a sofa for the night.

The family lives in a residential neighborhood away from Rovinj’s famous old town, which draws visitors with its winding Mediterranean-style stone streets and a prominent church.

Jelenic noted that at Mile’s current size — just 16 kilograms, or about 35 pounds — having him in the apartment isn’t all that different from living with a dog or another household pet.

“In about twenty days, this probably will no longer be possible,” Jelenic said. “I hope he will be strong enough by then to be able to stay at the ranch.”

U.S. President Donald Trump stood firmly behind a temporary agreement with Iran on Tuesday, insisting the deal makes it absolutely clear that Tehran will never be permitted to build a nuclear weapon. He also floated the idea that Syria might be better suited than Israel to handle the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.

Trump made the remarks before sitting down with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. The president was defending a 14-point memorandum of understanding reached with Iran, the full contents of which have not yet been released to the public.

“The only thing that really matters to me is Iran will never have a nuclear weapon, and it says it loud and clear,” Trump told reporters. He added a stark warning, saying “all hell will rain down” on Iran if it attempted to acquire one.

U.S. and Iranian representatives are scheduled to meet in Switzerland this Friday to kick off in-depth negotiations. That meeting will open a 60-day period for complex technical discussions expected to address topics including what happens to Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile and the potential easing of economic sanctions.

Some European allies have expressed worry that the American negotiating team lacks the experience needed to lock in a strong deal, which could lead to a lengthy standoff rather than a resolution.

For comparison, former President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran — which included sanctions relief — took two full years to finalize. Trump pulled the United States out of that agreement during his first term in office.

“This deal is a wall to a nuclear weapon. His deal was a road to a nuclear weapon. My deal, they can’t have a nuclear, they get blown up,” Trump said, referring to Obama’s earlier accord.

Diplomatic analysts point out that Iranian negotiators bring deep expertise in nuclear diplomacy, are known for identifying weaknesses in opposing teams, and often use delay tactics to advance their goals — making a comprehensive deal within just 60 days a steep challenge.

A major variable in whether the interim agreement holds is the ongoing situation in Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israeli forces will remain in southern Lebanon for as long as necessary to confront Hezbollah. Iran, meanwhile, has called for Israel to withdraw its troops.

Trump appeared to take issue with Israel’s approach in Lebanon and suggested that Syria — currently led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa and still working to stabilize after years of civil war — might be the right party to step in.

“I suggested to Israel to let Syria take care of Hezbollah because to be honest, I think they do a better job of doing it,” Trump said.

BANGUI, Central African Republic — A court supported by the United Nations launched its trial of former Central African Republic President François Bozizé on Tuesday, charging him with crimes against humanity for actions carried out by members of his security forces from 2009 to 2013.

This marks the sixth trial conducted by the Special Criminal Court, a tribunal established in 2015 with United Nations backing to hold accountable those responsible for serious crimes committed during the nation’s prolonged conflicts.

The alleged abuses took place at a prison and a military training facility in Bossembélé, a town roughly 150 kilometers — about 90 miles — northwest of the capital city of Bangui. Prosecutors contend that Bozizé, as a military commander, bears responsibility for crimes committed by his presidential guard and other security personnel. Those crimes are described as including “murder, enforced disappearance, torture, rape and other inhumane acts.”

Bozizé, who is 79 years old, will not be present for the proceedings. He has been living in exile in Guinea-Bissau since 2023, and that country’s authorities have declined to extradite him despite an international arrest warrant the court issued in 2024.

Three former military officers — Eugène Barret Ngaïkosset, Vianney Semndiro, and Firmin Junior Danboy — are also named as defendants and are expected to appear before the court.

Bozizé first came to power through a military coup in 2003 and governed the country until 2013, when the predominantly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition forced him from power. His removal set off years of brutal fighting between Seleka fighters and the predominantly Christian Anti-balaka militias, a conflict that claimed thousands of civilian lives.

Although a peace agreement was signed in 2019, six of the 14 armed groups involved eventually withdrew from it. Clashes between government forces, allied militias, and rebel factions continue to this day.

One man who says he was imprisoned and tortured at Bossembélé during Bozizé’s time in power spoke with The Associated Press about his reaction to the trial. Maximin Lin Crozon Cazin said he was let down by the former president’s absence from the courtroom.

“It is unfortunate that François Bozizé does not have the courage to face justice in his own country,” Cazin said. “I expect this trial to establish the truth and provide reparations,” he added.

Bozizé’s attorney, Marie Edith Douzima-Lawson, chose not to address the case publicly before the trial began, stating only that the defense has “solid arguments.”

The Central African Republic ranks among the world’s poorest nations. Despite holding significant reserves of gold, one out of every three residents survives on less than two dollars per day.

The country was also among the first in Africa where Wagner, a Russian mercenary organization, became active. That group has taken on responsibility for protecting current President Faustin-Archange Touadéra and has been involved in operations against rebel groups.

Colombia will elect a new president this Sunday, but regardless of who wins, economists, policymakers, and investors say the next leader will have little room to maneuver on economic policy — hampered by serious fiscal problems and a fragmented Congress that could block major reforms.

Voters face a choice between right-wing lawyer Abelardo De La Espriella and leftist senator Ivan Cepeda, two candidates with starkly different blueprints for Latin America’s fourth-largest economy.

Financial markets have rallied behind De La Espriella, a political outsider who has vowed to shrink the size of the government by 40%, expand the tax base, and lower corporate taxes to stimulate private-sector job creation. He also wants to revive oil exploration, permit fracking to push production close to 1.3 million barrels per day, and take a tougher stance against guerrilla and criminal organizations.

“The Colombian state as it is currently structured is financially unviable,” De La Espriella said in a recent speech.

Colombian financial assets surged after De La Espriella won the first round of voting with 43.7% compared to Cepeda’s 40.9%. Investors interpreted the outcome as signaling a potential departure from the policies of outgoing President Gustavo Petro — a Cepeda ally whose tenure saw expanded social programs and gains in manufacturing, tourism, and agriculture.

“The market has moved to largely price an Abelardo victory even before the second round,” said Thys Louw, emerging market fixed income portfolio manager at Ninety One. “If Abelardo should win, the market reaction will undoubtedly still be positive … as the perception would be that he will have a mandate to start reversing damage to the fiscal side and investment that was done under Petro.”

Cepeda, for his part, has pledged to build on Petro’s economic and social agenda with an emphasis on reducing poverty. His plan includes raising taxes on the wealthiest individuals and largest corporations, while keeping a ban on new oil and coal exploration — though he remains open to gas and mining development.

“Let us make a tax pact, a fiscal pact, so we do not have to get to a reform that may be, well, unpopular with sectors of the economy,” Cepeda told Reuters last week.

Colombia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic has been driven largely by consumer spending, wage growth, and government expenditure, while private investment has stayed weak and the oil and mining industries have lost steam.

The country’s economy expanded by 2.6% last year — below the pre-pandemic average of 4%, according to official figures. Private investment remains below pre-COVID levels following a steep 13.4% contraction in 2023, which was Petro’s first complete year in office.

Alejandro Cuadrado, global head of foreign exchange and Latin America strategy at BBVA, noted that the Colombian peso has already absorbed more than half of its potential upside. He warned that markets may be overestimating how much fiscal improvement De La Espriella could realistically achieve.

“The challenge is high, even if the market reacts well to a potential De La Espriella victory,” Cuadrado said, pointing out that limited congressional support would constrain the candidate’s ability to make fiscal adjustments.

Colombia’s public debt currently stands at roughly 60% of GDP. Analysts and credit ratings agencies warn that weak government revenue combined with elevated spending will make it difficult to hit the fiscal deficit target of 5.3% of GDP this year.

To prevent a default, the incoming president must cut spending by $5.6 billion in 2027 and by $20 billion over a full four-year term — equivalent to four percentage points of GDP — according to Juan Carlos Ramirez, head of the Autonomous Fiscal Rule Committee.

“If spending keeps rising and revenues do not improve, there comes a point when those debts become unpayable,” Ramirez told Reuters.

Colombia’s sovereign credit rating was downgraded last year after the government lifted caps on spending and debt. Both S&P and Fitch pushed the country further into junk-bond territory.

“Colombia has a track record of tax reforms, but a new reform is not guaranteed. In fact, De La Espriella has pledged to cut taxes, and while Cepeda supports reforms to raise revenue, he could struggle to push them through Congress, as happened during the Petro administration,” Fitch stated.

Market volatility could increase if the election results are disputed. Cepeda raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the first round before ultimately accepting the outcome, while De La Espriella has spoken out against what he described as pressure from armed groups.

Central bank board member Bibiana Taboada told Reuters that investment has shifted toward capital markets and away from productive industries due to legal uncertainty, insecurity, and extortion.

“Whoever reaches the presidency will find multiple challenges, one of them being to get the economy’s productive capacity growing again,” she said. “It will be fundamental to generate confidence that the macroeconomic stability that had characterized Colombia will return.”

Some Colombian companies that had been exploring growth opportunities abroad are now reconsidering investing at home as the election raises hopes for a policy change, according to Paul Dmitriev, co-portfolio manager and senior analyst at Global X.

“No corporate was doing any capex domestically,” Dmitriev said of conditions earlier in the Petro administration. “And now … there’s been this revival, and, ‘okay, I see opportunity for change, and I see an opportunity to invest domestically.’”

Nelson Castaneda of energy industry group Campetrol said that any revival of energy investment would require institutional stability and a long-term strategy, calling such a restart “fundamental to guarantee the country’s energy security and sovereignty.”

Deutsche Bank economists said a Cepeda victory would likely weigh on confidence in Colombia’s economic prospects, while a De La Espriella administration might be able to build a working congressional coalition to pursue fiscal adjustments — though probably not enough to fully stabilize the national debt.

ATHENS — The leader of Greece’s most deadly and now-disbanded guerrilla organization will be heading back to prison after the nation’s highest court overturned his release, according to police sources and the Athens News Agency.

Alexandros Giotopoulos, 82, founded and led the Marxist group known as November 17, which carried out assassinations over a 27-year period before Greek authorities dismantled it in 2002. Giotopoulos was arrested that same year.

He and other members of the organization were found guilty by a Greek court in 2003. Although Giotopoulos maintained his innocence, an appeals court handed down a sentence of 17 life terms plus an additional 25 years in 2007.

On May 21 of this year, Giotopoulos walked free from Korydallos high-security prison in Athens after a judicial panel granted a release request he had submitted in 2025, citing deteriorating health, according to media reports.

However, the Supreme Court stepped in this week and approved a prosecutor’s move to reverse that decision, the Athens News Agency reported.

Giotopoulos appeared before a prosecutor on Tuesday and was expected to be transported back to Korydallos prison later that same day.

MILAN — Italian police have taken seven people into custody, accusing them of membership in an anarchist militant network responsible for sabotaging a high-speed railway during this year’s Winter Olympics, authorities announced Tuesday.

A judge ordered five of the suspects held in prison while the remaining two were placed under house arrest. Those arrested face charges that include terrorist association and subversion of the democratic order.

Two of the seven individuals are specifically accused of participating in a February 14 attack targeting the Rome-Florence high-speed rail corridor. Investigators say the attack was carried out using homemade explosive devices, resulting in infrastructure damage estimated at €455,000 — roughly $528,000.

The disruption caused train delays exceeding one hour during the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, which was held from February 6 through February 22.

According to police, the attack — along with a simultaneous strike on the Rome-Naples line — was claimed on a website called ispiraazione.noblogs.org, which had been created specifically for that purpose just a few months beforehand.

Authorities noted that the anarchist group’s own statement made direct reference to the timing of the Winter Olympics, as well as anti-militarist goals and plans for violent attacks against infrastructure.

Police described the group as being based in Rome, with connections to affiliated cells operating in Bologna, Milan, and Naples.

Prosecutors in Rome also issued multiple search warrants targeting additional suspects currently under investigation across several Italian cities.

A 40-page document posted on the same website also claims the group was responsible for a separate sabotage attack on the Transalpine Pipeline in March.

DUBAI — The U.S. military has been quietly managing a large-scale, covert oil transfer operation near the Strait of Hormuz, borrowing a technique that Iran itself has used for years to evade international sanctions, according to a Reuters investigation.

The operation, which began in early May, takes place at two locations just outside the strait — one near the coast of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates and another off Oman’s port of Sohar. Eleven people with direct knowledge of the operation identified those sites to Reuters. Shipping data and satellite imagery reviewed by the news agency show at least 92 ships have participated in the transfers so far.

Satellite images from as recently as June 11 captured 17 pairs of ships carrying out oil transfers simultaneously at the two locations.

An Apache helicopter that was shot down by Iran on June 9 — triggering retaliatory U.S. bombings — was also part of this mission, according to four sources, including a former U.S. official with knowledge of the incident. On the day the Apache was downed, Reuters used satellite imagery to count six pairs of tanker ships clustered near the port of Sohar. Both crew members were rescued by a drone boat, U.S. officials confirmed.

Reuters was unable to confirm the specific role the Apache played in the oil transfer operation. When asked about it, a U.S. defense official stated that no Central Command forces are participating in any offshore ship-to-ship oil transfer operation. The White House directed questions to Centcom, and the Iranian government did not respond to requests for comment.

The two transfer zones sit near boundaries drawn by a new Iranian body called the Persian Gulf Strait Authority, which was established to oversee the Hormuz Strait. Ships that do not follow Iran’s directives face the threat of drone and missile strikes from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The nearby port of Fujairah has been struck repeatedly by Iranian fire during the period this operation has been active. This past weekend, a maritime risk management group called Vanguard reported that an “unknown projectile” hit a tanker off the Omani coast. Vanguard said in a statement that the crew was unharmed and that while some cargo leaked, there was no environmental damage. The group did not confirm whether that vessel was engaged in a ship-to-ship transfer at the time.

Iran effectively shut down the Strait of Hormuz in response to the U.S.-Israeli war, blocking a waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil consumption normally flows. That closure has caused what experts describe as the most severe global energy supply disruption ever recorded and has contributed to rising inflation worldwide.

Although the ship-to-ship transfers are considered risky and inefficient, they appear to be part of the Trump administration’s broader push to restore oil flow from the Gulf. President Donald Trump stated that the Strait of Hormuz would reopen Friday under a peace framework announced with Iran this week, though specifics of that deal remain unclear. Reuters could not determine whether the announced agreement has had any impact on the transfer operation.

A separate Reuters investigation published May 20 revealed that Iran has built its own system for moving ships through the other side of the strait, using island checkpoints, diplomatic arrangements and, in some cases, fees.

Eight sources — including a private security contractor directly involved in the transfers — told Reuters the American operation is entirely under U.S. military control. Tankers are required to gather at a designated meeting point before reaching the strait, then depart in staggered intervals, keeping roughly 3,000 to 4,000 meters between vessels. Their tracking transponders are switched off and their lights are kept dark, according to four sources.

A network of waypoints allows the U.S. military to track each vessel’s progress. As one source put it, the Americans are “obviously watching you all the time.”

Once through the strait and just past the zone Iran has claimed control over, the tankers pull alongside much larger receiving ships known as Very Large Crude Carriers, or VLCCs, to begin offloading their oil. Each transfer takes between 24 and 40 hours. The smaller tankers then return through the strait while the fully loaded VLCCs continue on to their destinations.

The operation depends on a small number of shipping companies willing to move their vessels through the strait despite Iran’s blockade. But the risks are significant. “You just don’t know when Iran might just decide to start using drones or even gunboats in order to prevent even those ships from transiting the strait,” said Noam Raydan, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute who focuses on maritime risk and reviewed Reuters’ findings.

Iran has used the ship-to-ship transfer method for years to disguise the origin of its oil and sidestep sanctions. Typically, Iran operates one pair of ships at a time to stay under the radar, given that its prewar oil exports were relatively modest. The U.S.-led operation, by contrast, involves mass simultaneous transfers and is designed to give Gulf oil producers greater protection from Iranian attacks while moving crude oil, condensate and petroleum products to international buyers.

Reuters reviewed more than a dozen satellite images taken between May 2 and June 11, showing transfers involving state-owned Gulf tanker fleets and internationally operated vessels. Shipping data from LSEG and Kpler confirmed repeated rendezvous between tankers in the area during the same timeframe.

Based on the tankers’ carrying capacities and the imagery reviewed, Reuters estimated that at least 90 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products may have moved through the offshore network since early May. That figure, while significant, remains far below the roughly 20 million barrels that passed through the strait on an average day before the war.

Michael Froman, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, noted the irony of the situation in a recent written commentary. “As the old rules weaken, it’s ironic that the United States is now taking a page out of the playbook of China, Russia, North Korea, and even Iran, whose so-called ‘dark fleets’ pioneered these techniques precisely to evade U.S. and UN sanctions,” he wrote. His remarks referred to the practice of sending ships through the strait without transponders — something President Trump mentioned publicly on June 10 following the Apache downing.

Six sources with direct knowledge of the operation said the U.S. has supported participating ships through aerial surveillance, compliance screening and ongoing monitoring, rather than direct naval escort. Reuters found no evidence that U.S. military personnel were physically involved in the transfers themselves.

On the receiving end of the operation, international tanker operators play a dominant role, according to shipping records. One of them, Greece-based Dynacom Tankers Management, has publicly hinted at its involvement in finding creative solutions to move oil through the strait since the war began on February 28.

“Freedom of navigation is essential and nobody can impose tolls or any other burden,” said George Procopiou, Dynacom’s founder, speaking at a Capital Link shipping conference in Athens on June 1. “We are here to serve, and Greece has the tradition of breaking blockades since antiquity. I don’t want to go into more details, but I believe the hints are enough to understand what I mean.” Dynacom did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the U.S. operation.

A separate maritime security source raised concerns about the dangers the new system creates for the broader shipping industry. “There is a paucity of reliable data,” the source said, noting that transponders are switched off “and companies are not reporting through the usual reporting centres.” That creates collision risks, since vessels are traveling at night with no lights at speeds that make maneuvering difficult, according to multiple shipping industry officials.

Four sources familiar with the operation said that companies seeking access must go through a compliance review before being granted a transit window. That process involves submitting information to the U.S. Navy’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping office in Bahrain. Two preliminary compliance documents reviewed by Reuters required operators to provide full geospatial tracking histories, complete beneficial ownership disclosure, cargo documentation and agreement to cargo testing. Approved vessels are then assigned specific transit windows and remain in contact with the Bahrain-based U.S. military office throughout the voyage.

Emirati exports make up a significant share of the transfer operation, according to shipping records. Six sources said the UAE’s state-owned national oil company ADNOC has been among the most active participants. The Kuwait Oil Tanker Company has also been heavily involved. On June 6, one of the busiest days of the operation, approximately 2.3 million barrels of crude were transferred from one of its ships off the coast of Sohar, according to data from TankerTrackers.com. The vessel that received that cargo, identified as Sea Ruby, was spotted five days later off India’s southwest coast, heading toward China where the oil was expected to be unloaded. The UAE government, ADNOC and the Kuwait Oil Tanker Company did not respond to requests for comment.

“I don’t see a permanent solution in all of this,” Raydan said. “This is a temporary solution amid exceptional times.”

LONDON — The United Kingdom announced a broad new set of sanctions on Tuesday, targeting the banking division of Russian technology company Yandex, two additional financial institutions, dozens of ships accused of transporting Russian oil and gas, and a secretive network used to obtain military equipment.

The measures are intended to increase pressure on the financial systems and supply chains that support Russia’s ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. Russia’s major insurance provider, Rosgosstrakh, was also among those hit by the new restrictions.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, speaking while attending a Group of Seven summit in France, said the actions were aimed at cutting off critical support for Russia’s wartime economy. “These sanctions target the vessels, the money and the actors propping up Russia’s war economy, and in turn, threatening European security,” he stated.

The sanctions cover more than 20 oil tankers along with several ships designed to carry liquefied natural gas. Britain noted it was the first time any G7 nation had sanctioned vessels connected to Russia’s Arctic LNG 2 energy project.

Neither the Russian Embassy in London nor Yandex offered any immediate response to requests for comment.

Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” consists of vessels registered in other countries — many of them older ships — that are used to move Russian energy exports while sidestepping Western sanctions. Britain has now sanctioned nearly 600 such ships. Over the weekend, British special forces boarded and intercepted one of those vessels, an oil tanker, in the English Channel.

The new round of sanctions also takes aim at what British officials described as a hidden procurement network built around a company called Neptune. According to Britain, Neptune functioned as a front for Russia’s GRU military intelligence service, helping it obtain Western goods and technology for military use.

The package identifies specific individuals believed to be GRU officers, as well as companies operating both inside Russia and internationally that are accused of supplying defense-related technology.

In a separate announcement, Britain said it would provide £210 million — roughly $280 million — in financing to bolster Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. That funding includes support for a loan to supply enriched uranium to Ukraine’s state-run nuclear power company, Energoatom.

LONDON — A young Ukrainian man has been convicted of carrying out a series of arson attacks targeting a vehicle and two London homes connected to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, but the shadowy online figure who directed the operation — known only as “El Money” — has avoided any public accountability.

Roman Lavrynovych, who was 21 at the time of the attacks, was found guilty Monday along with an accomplice. The fires occurred over several days in May 2025, according to evidence presented during his six-week trial.

El Money recruited Lavrynovych through the internet, providing step-by-step directions that included the addresses of the targets and instructions on how to combine flammable materials purchased from a hardware store. The handler communicated primarily through the messaging app Telegram.

The attacks did not result in serious injuries or extensive property damage, but Starmer’s sister-in-law, Judith Alexander, said she was left “struggling to breathe” after smoke filled the house during the third attack. She and her family were present at the residence — a home Starmer had lived in before taking office as prime minister.

El Money appeared frustrated that the attacks were not generating media coverage. “It’s all dead quiet so far — not a single article or announcement about the incident on this street,” he wrote to Lavrynovych after one of the fires.

What El Money did not know was that British counterterrorism police were already on the case.

The plot bears the hallmarks of Russian state-sponsored sabotage, according to retired Commander Dominic Murphy, who spent two decades investigating such activities and oversaw the early stages of this investigation before stepping down in March. However, he acknowledged the difficulty of proving state involvement in a courtroom setting.

“We need to keep calling Russia out and we need to ensure our society is as resilient as it possibly can be,” Murphy said, urging a broader public discussion about threats from Moscow, including to critical infrastructure.

Evidence presented at trial showed that El Money speaks Russian and is “likely to be in Russia,” Murphy said, and that the methods used closely mirror those associated with Russian intelligence operations in the United Kingdom. Such operations, he noted, typically require “very senior sign-off.”

Despite those assessments, prosecutors did not file charges under Britain’s National Security Act — legislation passed in 2023 specifically to address state-level threats — meaning no evidence of a broader conspiracy linked to Moscow was placed before the jury.

Helen Flanagan, the current head of counterterrorism police, stated that there is “no evidence to suggest that this was a state-backed threat and target on the prime minister” — referring specifically to police-gathered evidence rather than classified intelligence.

The presiding judge, Justice Neil Garnham, described El Money as the “central figure in the case but a man or group about whom we know very little,” and instructed jurors not to speculate about the handler’s identity.

Before his arrest, Lavrynovych had been paid smaller amounts to put up anti-Islam posters and graffiti in Muslim neighborhoods of London — an apparent effort to stir up social unrest. He told the court he was offered more money to carry out the fires and was threatened when he hesitated. His attorney, James Scobie, described him as a “vulnerable, ignorant” pawn manipulated by a sophisticated operator.

“It must be a bit of a frustration that no part of this case has really looked into the devil in the background,” Scobie said. Without naming Russia directly, he argued the attacks were aimed at Starmer because of his backing for Ukraine, calling them an assault on “the very institutions and fabric of this country.”

Just before police moved in to arrest Lavrynovych, El Money sent him one final message: “Don’t worry, I won’t set you up.” Lavrynovych never received the promised payment.

Scobie told the court there is “only one winner” in the case — “the anonymous devil who manipulated, used and won.”

The U.K. Home Office called the fires an “abhorrent attack” and said those responsible have been brought to justice, but did not respond to questions about whether the British government holds Russia responsible.

European officials have said Moscow is running a broad sabotage campaign against nations that support Ukraine. The Associated Press has documented at least 192 such incidents across Europe since Russia’s 2022 invasion, ranging from arson and cyberattacks to attempted killings.

When the AP asked Russian President Vladimir Putin in June whether Russia is conducting a covert war against Western nations, he deflected the question. “What are the specific facts?” he said. “What has been proven?”

Murphy, who previously led the investigation into the 2018 poisoning of former Russian military intelligence officer Sergei Skripal — an attack the U.K. attributed to Moscow — noted that Russia has since shifted its approach toward recruiting local individuals to carry out attacks on its behalf.

BANGKOK — A newly released report from the International Energy Agency is sounding the alarm for Southeast Asia, warning that the war in Iran has laid bare serious vulnerabilities in the region’s energy supply chain — ones that could cost hundreds of billions of dollars if left unaddressed.

The report, released Tuesday, found that Southeast Asia’s heavy dependence on oil and gas shipped through the Strait of Hormuz made the region especially susceptible to disruptions caused by the Iran conflict. The IEA described the situation as a “stark wake-up call” for regional energy security.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol emphasized the urgency of the situation. “Diversification of energy sources and supply routes is now a central priority,” he said.

The report warns that if significant reforms are not made, Southeast Asia’s energy import bill could balloon to $245 billion by 2035 — nearly triple the $80 billion figure recorded in 2024.

The energy disruption has already sent shockwaves through the region, triggering higher energy bills and fueling inflation. The IEA also noted that the crisis has reinforced a reliance on coal during periods of energy shortage — a likely setback for efforts to move away from fossil fuels.

Despite the challenges, the conflict appears to be accelerating some positive shifts. The report points to record sales of electric vehicles, growing interest in nuclear energy, and a surge in rooftop solar installations and other renewable energy projects across the region.

Sam Reynolds of the U.S.-based Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis offered his assessment of the findings. “The IEA report clearly highlights that Southeast Asia is at a crossroads,” he said.

In the Philippines, where a national energy emergency was declared, consumers have been turning to rooftop solar in record numbers as a fast, self-directed way to cope with rising utility costs. “This is the first time I’ve seen a demand shock of this magnitude,” said Ivan Cano with the Manila-based solar company EcoSolutions.

The IEA found that the Philippines became the second-largest destination for Chinese solar exports in the first quarter of 2026, with imports running approximately three times higher than the same period the previous year.

The transportation sector is also seeing significant change. Electric vehicle sales across Southeast Asia more than doubled in 2025, reaching roughly half a million units. The IEA noted that one in every five cars sold in the region is now electric.

In a dramatic policy move last month, Laos banned the importation of fuel-powered vehicles for the remainder of 2026 in an effort to reduce oil imports and accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.

Nuclear energy plans are also advancing in the region, though construction timelines and regulatory hurdles remain significant obstacles. Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines are considered to be among the furthest along in developing nuclear power programs, though their schedules remain uncertain.

Reynolds noted that even with a tentative deal to end the Iran war on the table, fossil fuel prices are expected to stay elevated, meaning “we will see a push towards more ambitious clean energy deployment.”

To address its vulnerabilities over the long term, the IEA recommends that Southeast Asia work to reduce its overall dependence on imported fossil fuels. The agency suggests improving the efficiency of national power grids and increasing investment across all forms of renewable energy, including solar, wind, hydroelectric, and geothermal power.

The report concluded: “The Middle East conflict is both a stress test of Southeast Asia’s current energy system and a catalyst to accelerate structural change.”

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s foreign minister declared Tuesday that a true end to the conflict cannot happen without Israel pulling its forces out of Lebanese territory they seized during the war.

Iranian state television reported that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made the statement while briefing foreign diplomats. The network did not broadcast the actual remarks, but displayed them as an on-screen graphic.

“The end of the war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of complete end of the war,” Araghchi was quoted as saying. “Without the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territories they occupied during this war, the war has not fully come to an end.”

Araghchi also warned that any additional Israeli military action in Lebanon “will be considered by us a violation of the Memorandum of Understanding.”

The full contents of the interim agreement between the parties remain unknown, as the document has not been released to the public.

Lithuania’s ruling Social Democrat party announced Tuesday that its chair, Mindaugas Sinkevicius, is set to take over as the country’s prime minister, stepping into the role currently held by fellow party member Inga Ruginiene.

The party made the announcement via a Facebook post, stating: “Mindaugas Sinkevicius is ready to assume full responsibility for the formation of the new Government and serve as Prime Minister.”

The leadership transition follows a significant shake-up within Lithuania’s coalition government. Earlier this month, the Social Democrat party voted to remove the populist party Nemunas Dawn from the governing coalition. That group’s leader had been convicted of antisemitism.

SHANGHAI — China’s digital yuan operation centre took a major step forward Tuesday, signing direct participation agreements with 26 financial institutions in Shanghai as part of an effort to build faster, lower-cost cross-border payment systems and boost the global reach of the Chinese currency.

The digital yuan’s international operation centre is established and run by the People’s Bank of China. Under the new agreements, participating institutions will gain access to the Cross-border e-CNY Transfer Services platform, known as CBETS — an around-the-clock digital settlement system that connects to foreign central banks and financial institutions overseas.

Jean Lu, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank (China), highlighted the significance of the development. “Fintech is fundamentally reshaping the underlying logic of cross-border payments and providing new momentum and pathways for them,” Lu said in a press release.

Lu added that a smoother payment experience could strengthen the yuan’s international standing. “An efficient, convenient, and compliant cross-border payment experience will further enhance the international use of the yuan,” she said.

Standard Chartered Bank (China) noted that it was among the first foreign banks to sign on and join the CBETS platform.

According to multiple industry sources who spoke with Reuters, China’s central bank is actively working to expand the use of digital yuan both at home and abroad — a direction that puts Beijing on a different course from the United States in determining how the future of money takes shape, and one that could eventually put the two nations in competition.

In March, sources told Reuters that China had approved roughly a dozen additional banks to handle digital yuan transactions, reflecting Beijing’s continued push to accelerate adoption of the digital currency.

PARIS — France’s Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced Tuesday that his government plans to pour €655 million — roughly $758 million — into artificial intelligence, including the creation of a unified chatbot that would serve all French government agencies.

Among the key elements of the plan is the development of a dedicated public health chatbot connected to the state-owned health insurance agency, Ameli. The government also intends to build a new platform designed to make public data more accessible to citizens.

Lecornu framed the initiative as a matter of national urgency, posting on X that the country faces a fundamental choice. “We can either be subjected to this revolution, or we can lead it,” he wrote.

The prime minister stressed that the role of AI in government is no longer up for debate — only the pace of change is. “The question is not whether the state will use artificial intelligence anymore, but the question is how fast will it transform,” Lecornu said.

He also emphasized the importance of technological independence, stating, “We cannot rely on tools developed by foreign powers. France must have its own tools.”

The announcement was timed to coincide with the opening of the “Viva Tech” conference in Paris.

Japan’s central bank took another significant step toward normalizing its monetary policy on Tuesday, raising interest rates to their highest level in 31 years as it works to bring inflation under control following energy market disruptions caused by the Iran war.

The rate increase — the first since December — puts the Bank of Japan in step with other major central banks around the world, including the European Central Bank, which have also been tightening policy to fight inflation.

Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida spoke with reporters following the bank’s policy meeting, which was conducted in Japanese. The following are excerpts from his remarks as translated by Reuters.

On oil supply uncertainty despite U.S.-Iran progress:

“Compared with our previous meeting in April, the U.S. and Iran have signed a memorandum. That is a welcome move. Having said that, there is uncertainty on the pace of improvement in distribution (of oil).”

On the risk of inflation running higher than expected:

“Compared with the previous meeting, the risk of a sharp deterioration in the economy has diminished. On the other hand, price rises are broadening, and there is a risk that underlying inflation may deviate from our target.”

“With underlying inflation approaching 2%, it’s important to ensure we achieve our target stably.”

On the relationship between wages and prices:

“Wage growth is moving roughly in line with levels consistent with our price target. The mechanism by which wages and prices rise in tandem is becoming embedded.”

On how far rates are from a neutral level:

“Even our latest estimates are made in a very wide band, which makes it hard for us to use this in setting policy. We’ll have to gauge the neutral level by looking at how our rate hikes affect Japan’s financial environment.”

On the weak yen:

“We’re always watching currency moves closely. We don’t directly target exchange rates in guiding monetary policy. But we engage in monetary policy discussions on the view that currency moves have a crucial impact on economic and price developments. With companies’ wage- and price-setting behaviour becoming more active, the pass-through (of the weak yen) may have a bigger impact on underlying inflation.”

On coordination with the Japanese government:

“Today’s decision was based on the need to address broadening price rises and the risk of underlying inflation deviating from our target. This would help Japan’s economy achieve sustainable growth and thus is consistent with what the government is doing.”

MOSCOW — A Ukrainian drone attack caused damage at a facility belonging to the Moscow oil refinery owned by Gazpromneft, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced Tuesday.

Sobyanin confirmed on the messaging platform Telegram that no one was hurt in the attack. “There were no casualties. Emergency services are working at the scene,” he wrote. The mayor did not provide information on whether the refinery’s day-to-day operations had been disrupted.

The refinery is the largest in the Moscow region. According to the most recent available figures from 2024, the facility processed 11.6 million tons of oil, yielding 2.9 million tons of gasoline and 3.2 million tons of diesel fuel.

Drone strikes on Russian oil refineries have been increasing sharply. Since the beginning of 2026, the number of such attacks has doubled compared to earlier periods, resulting in full or partial shutdowns at processing facilities and reduced output of gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, according to official data, social media reports, and Reuters calculations.

The Gazpromneft refinery supplies the Moscow region, which had not previously been among the roughly dozen Russian regions experiencing fuel supply disruptions.

Uncertainty continues to surround a newly signed U.S.-Iran interim agreement intended to bring an end to the ongoing Middle East conflict, as shipping companies warn it could take weeks before traffic through the Strait of Hormuz resumes, and major questions about the deal’s details remain open.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that a preliminary agreement had been reached and signed by both the United States and Iran. However, the specifics have not yet been released to the public, and both nations acknowledged that a permanent ceasefire still needs to be negotiated.

Under the interim arrangement, a fragile ceasefire that was first announced in April would be extended for another 60 days. The deal would also reopen the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman that Iran has effectively shut down since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Iran back in February. That blockade cut off roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply.

During the 60-day negotiating window, talks would focus on the future of Iran’s nuclear program. Notably, two other issues that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cited as reasons for the war — ending Iran’s backing of armed proxy groups in the region and scaling back its missile capabilities — are not expected to be part of those discussions.

Trump made the announcement upon his arrival in France for a summit of the G7 group of major economies. “The deal’s all signed,” he said, adding that Vice President JD Vance would attend a formal signing ceremony in Geneva on Friday.

Oil prices dropped Monday to their lowest point since March 10, shortly after the Hormuz blockade began. By Tuesday, prices had stabilized somewhat, with Brent crude futures slipping 0.3% to $82.96 per barrel during Asian trading hours, reflecting a more cautious outlook among markets.

Despite the uncertainties, the agreement represents the most significant progress yet in resolving a conflict that has claimed at least 7,000 lives, the majority in Iran and Lebanon, while severely disrupting global energy markets.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took to social media Monday, calling the interim deal an “important step” toward halting the fighting, while also noting that a final agreement for a lasting peace “has yet to take shape.”

Vance described the signed document to CNN as a “very general document,” and U.S. officials indicated that more details would be made available over the following two days. Vance also mentioned the deal includes “a very significant sanctions relief package” for Iran, and told Fox News that Trump might choose to release the agreement before the Friday ceremony.

American and Iranian officials have indicated the deal could eventually bring major economic benefits to Iran, including lifted sanctions, the unfreezing of foreign assets, and access to a $300 billion reconstruction fund to be financed by neighboring Gulf states that host U.S. military bases.

U.S. officials, speaking without attribution, said Iran would need to meet American demands — specifically, a commitment never to develop a nuclear weapon and a cutoff of support for militias such as Hezbollah in Lebanon — before receiving those economic benefits. Iranian officials, who have consistently denied any intention to build a nuclear weapon, contend they have conceded little by agreeing to restart diplomatic discussions about uranium enrichment that were interrupted when the war began.

Even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens under the agreement, shipping industry leaders caution that cargo traffic will not resume immediately. The chief executive of Japan’s Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, a major shipping company operating a fleet of more than 900 vessels including tankers, told the Financial Times that shipowners would not sail through the strait until they were confident the deal was “material.”

“Given the experiences in the last couple of months, I think it’s reasonable to assume that it may take at least a couple of weeks or if not a month,” Tamura told the FT prior to Trump’s announcement. The FT reported that the finalization of the U.S.-Iran agreement had not changed Tamura’s position.

Iran has indicated it will maintain joint control over the strait with Oman. The U.S. stated the waterway would be open toll-free for 60 days and expects that provision to carry over into any final agreement. Trump posted on Truth Social that oil-laden ships were already beginning to move out of the strait along what he called the Southern “Highway,” which he described as “totally safe, secure, and pristine.”

The conflict between U.S. ally Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in Lebanon remains a significant sticking point. The fighting there has displaced 1.2 million people. Iran has insisted the deal requires a complete halt to hostilities in Lebanon, but Netanyahu said Israel would keep its forces in southern Lebanon and maintain the right to respond to Hezbollah attacks.

“Iran wanted us to withdraw from it, but I stood firm,” Netanyahu said at a Monday news conference. Israel has not been a direct participant in the peace negotiations with Iran.

A U.S. official clarified that an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon — which Israel entered in March after Hezbollah joined the broader conflict — is not a condition of the current deal. Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called for an immediate halt to Israeli attacks.

Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te is standing firm on his commitment to boost military spending, declaring he will “not give up” following a setback in parliament last month when lawmakers approved only a portion of a major defense budget proposal.

The island’s opposition-majority legislature passed just two-thirds of a proposed $40 billion supplementary defense budget. While parliament gave the green light to purchases of U.S. weapons, it blocked funding for domestically manufactured drones and missiles — equipment that Lai believes is essential to deterring China, which considers the democratically governed island to be part of its own territory.

Speaking at a military base in New Taipei, Lai addressed the budget shortfall directly. “Regarding the major cuts to the special national defence budget, we will not give up,” he said.

He outlined potential workarounds to secure the needed funds: “We will propose separate special legislation, or support the armed forces through supplementary budgets and increases to the annual government budget, to ensure that national defence equipment and infrastructure projects proceed smoothly.”

Lai has set an ambitious goal of raising defense spending to 5% of the country’s GDP by 2030, up from roughly 3% today. That target aligns with calls from the Trump administration urging allies to invest more in their own military capabilities. The United States serves as Taiwan’s most important international supporter and weapons supplier, even though the two sides do not maintain formal diplomatic relations.

The president stressed that amid “rapidly changing regional circumstances,” Taiwan’s armed forces must sharpen their combat readiness and make effective use of modern technology, including drones.

Earlier this month, the top U.S. diplomat based in Taipei said Taiwan needs to “spend smarter” on defense and draw lessons from the use of drones in the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East to maintain a military balance with China.

During Tuesday’s visit, Lai also toured key radar installations situated in the mountains surrounding Taipei, facilities that continuously monitor Chinese military activity in the region.

“I saw our servicemen and women monitoring aerial activity around the clock, identifying targets in the waters off northern Taiwan, and transmitting intelligence. Their work provides the most immediate and precise support for the overall defence response,” the president said.

Italy’s competition and antitrust authority announced Tuesday that it has launched a formal investigation into Apple, focusing on whether the company is meeting its obligations under the European Digital Markets Act.

Under that law, Apple is required to allow third-party consumer cloud service providers to work seamlessly and at no cost with the hardware and software components that make up its iOS and iPadOS operating systems. Those outside providers must also be given the same level of access that Apple grants to its own iCloud service.

The Italian regulator stated that it had gathered evidence suggesting rival cloud service providers are not being placed on equal footing with iCloud, as they do not appear to have access to the same system components that Apple makes available to its own service.

This marks the first investigation the Italian watchdog has launched under the Digital Markets Act, a European regulation that gives national authorities the power to carry out preliminary inquiries into potential violations.

The authority confirmed that once its investigation is complete, the results will be submitted to the European Commission for further review.

Last week’s Berlin airshow put a cutting-edge military technology front and center: the so-called “wingman” drone, a new class of AI-powered unmanned aircraft built to fly alongside traditional fighter jets.

The conflict in Ukraine has highlighted just how important drones and electronic warfare have become in modern combat. In response, European and American defense forces are moving quickly to develop their own AI-driven unmanned aircraft capable of carrying sensors, signal jammers, and weapons to support crewed planes.

Four major defense companies — Airbus, Boeing, Helsing, and General Atomics — gathered in Berlin to showcase their latest designs to Germany’s military and other potential customers.

These unmanned aircraft go by several names. Sometimes called wingman drones or wingman aircraft, they are formally classified as collaborative combat aircraft, or CCA. They range in size from small interceptors to aircraft comparable in size to conventional planes, and they operate in what is called a “loyal wingman” formation, flanking manned aircraft during missions.

The growing investment in this technology is unfolding against a broader debate in Europe about building a self-sufficient defense industry and reducing dependence on the United States.

Stephanie Lingemann, head of air domain at German defense startup Helsing, spoke to Reuters at the airshow about the importance of keeping control of the technology’s core intelligence. “The AI agent, of course, the brain of these systems, needs to be controlled in a sovereign fashion,” she said.

Germany and France announced this month that they have shelved a joint fighter jet program, but both countries are now exploring ways to salvage portions of the Future Combat Air System initiative by developing a related drone system and data network.

The Ukraine war has also demonstrated that disrupting an enemy’s sensors and communications can be just as decisive as direct physical attacks. Helsing says its electronic attack drone is built to operate alongside strike drones in autonomous swarms.

Boeing Australia’s Managing Director Amy List pushed back on the idea that the company’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat is simply a drone, describing it instead as an unmanned jet. She said it is designed “to enhance the capabilities, be a force multiplier for crewed platforms.” Boeing is working with German firm Rheinmetall to develop and produce the aircraft.

“It can go out ahead of crewed platforms, provide situational awareness, analyse data, it can fuse that data and provide decision-making quality information back to a human,” List told Reuters.

Despite the excitement surrounding this technology, none of these wingman systems have yet been deployed in actual combat. Boeing says its model could be in service with the German Luftwaffe as early as 2029, while Airbus says its model, the U760b Ravenstorm, won’t be ready until the 2030s.

General Atomics’ YFQ-42A is currently in testing. The U.S. Air Force selected it in 2024 as one of several technologies to receive funding and support for prototype development.

Lockheed Martin and U.S. defense technology startup Anduril are expected to show off similar technologies at upcoming airshows, including Britain’s Farnborough airshow, which opens on July 20.

TOKYO — Japan’s central bank took a significant step Tuesday, lifting its benchmark interest rate to 1% — a level not seen in roughly 30 years — as the country grapples with a weakening currency and climbing prices.

The Bank of Japan increased its uncollateralized overnight rate by a quarter of a percentage point from its previous level of 0.75%, marking the latest move in the bank’s effort to bring monetary policy back to more normal territory.

For decades, Japan kept interest rates at or near zero — and even below zero at times — in an attempt to encourage borrowing and spending and fight off deflation that had weighed on the economy. The central bank has been gradually stepping away from that approach in recent months.

A major driver of the current inflation is the war in Iran, which has caused oil prices to surge. That has hit Japan especially hard because the country imports nearly all of its oil and natural gas.

The prolonged period of low interest rates also put downward pressure on the Japanese yen, which has slid to around 160 yen per U.S. dollar in recent months.

Notably absent from Tuesday’s policy board meeting was Bank of Japan Governor Kazuo Ueda, who has been hospitalized recently. Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida was expected to represent the central bank at a news conference scheduled for later in the day.

Financial markets were already reacting ahead of the announcement. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 index briefly climbed above 70,000 early Tuesday before pulling back slightly from those gains.

A 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Tuesday, triggering intense shaking that lasted more than a minute and was followed by a series of strong aftershocks.

The tremor was felt heavily in Palu, a city of roughly 400,000 residents that serves as the capital of Central Sulawesi province. Damage was reported in scattered locations, and several hospitals moved patients — some still connected to IV drips — outdoors as a precautionary measure. No information on injuries or deaths was immediately released.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake’s epicenter was located 43 kilometers (27 miles) east-southeast of Palu at a depth of approximately 10 kilometers (6 miles). The most powerful aftershock registered a magnitude of 5.2. Officials determined there was no risk of a tsunami.

Indonesia sits atop multiple seismic fault lines, making earthquakes and volcanic activity a routine part of life across the archipelago.

For many residents of Sulawesi, Tuesday’s quake stirred haunting memories of a magnitude 7.5 earthquake that tore through Palu in 2018. That disaster triggered a tsunami with waves reaching 3 meters (10 feet) high and caused a rare geological phenomenon known as liquefaction, where the ground essentially collapses inward on itself. The death toll from that event surpassed 4,000 people, with entire neighborhoods swallowed by the sinking earth.

Sulawesi has also experienced other deadly seismic events in recent years. In January 2021, a magnitude 6.2 earthquake near the city of Mamuju killed at least 100 people, leaving thousands sleeping outside for days out of fear that more aftershocks could follow.

EVIAN-LES-BAINS, France — A group of U.S. allies is pushing for a naval mission in the Strait of Hormuz that would clear underwater mines and potentially provide military escorts for commercial ships, aiming to restore confidence among shipping crews and insurers that the critical waterway is safe to navigate once again.

France and Britain have spent months developing the proposal. French President Emmanuel Macron first raised the concept back in March, during the height of the conflict, suggesting that warships could escort tankers and cargo ships through the strategically vital chokepoint once hostilities wound down.

At the Group of Seven summit, U.S. President Donald Trump told Macron he doesn’t believe there is much need for outside assistance, saying the strait is “going to be open” as a result of the tentative agreement reached with Iran.

“But I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a ship or two up here from a few countries. You’d be a great country to do it,” Trump told the French leader.

In a joint statement welcoming the framework agreement that would extend the U.S.-Iran tentative ceasefire and lead to the reopening of the strait, the allied nations declared they “are committed to playing our part” to urgently reopen the waterway “with unconditional and unrestricted freedom of navigation.”

That statement came from France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Italy, with Canada joining later — all fellow members of the G7 alongside the United States.

The allies proposed “a strictly defensive and independent mission to reassure commercial shipping and conduct mine clearance operations.”

France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, is already positioned in the area. Macron sent it first to the eastern Mediterranean in early March before directing it through the Suez Canal and into the Arabian Sea.

Macron said other nations already in the region that could quickly contribute include the Netherlands, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

The French leader told Trump that French fighter jets could begin flying observation missions over the waterway as early as Tuesday, with frigates following “within 48 hours” and the aircraft carrier arriving “within two to three days.”

“Of course, all this supposes that it is desired and requested,” Macron said. “Perhaps it will not be wanted and perhaps it will not be necessary. But in any case, it reflects our willingness to help.”

Mine-clearing vessels would work to eliminate underwater hazards that pose serious dangers to shipping traffic. These mines can be rocket-propelled, cable-anchored, or rest on the ocean floor and detonate in response to sound, movement, or light.

Trump confirmed that mines have already been found and that the search for additional ones is ongoing, but said the strait “is already partially opened.”

Britain’s Royal Navy has been highlighting the specialized capabilities it could bring to the operation, recently inviting journalists aboard one of its vessels, the RFA Lyme Bay, as it waited near Gibraltar to be called into action.

Naval forces from France, the United States, Britain, and other countries already have firsthand experience protecting civilian ships under fire in the region, having previously defended cargo vessels from attacks in the Red Sea launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels based in Yemen.

French frigates deployed machine guns, cannons, and advanced air-defense missile systems to repel those Houthi assaults. The French frigate Alsace shot down three ballistic missiles in the Red Sea in 2024 while guarding a container ship. The vessel’s commander at the time, Capt. Jérôme Henry, told the AP that enduring those potentially deadly attacks was both nerve-wracking and exhausting. U.S. Navy ships and sailors also bore significant costs during those sea battles.

Should the mission be deployed in the Strait of Hormuz, naval crews would hope for a calmer environment if the ceasefire holds. However, with Iran still believed to possess substantial stockpiles of missiles, drones, and other weapons, warships’ defensive systems would be ready to respond if the ceasefire collapses.

“Once there is a ceasefire, the need for a naval mission is significantly reduced,” said Max Bergmann, an analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank.

“A U.K.-French naval presence will no doubt have some security benefits. It might raise the stakes for Iran to rekindle the war; it demonstrates European commitment to Gulf states; and it might reassure shipping and insurance companies,” Bergmann said. “But we should not overstate its utility.”

Planning for the joint French-British mission has drawn in nations from as far away as Australia, South Korea, Japan, Bahrain, Qatar, Canada, and more than a dozen European countries. A meeting of defense ministers and other officials convened last month by France and Britain brought together representatives from 38 nations in total.

WASHINGTON — For eight years, the United States has been fighting an economic battle with China, imposing heavy tariffs on Chinese goods entering American ports. But those efforts have done little to slow China’s manufacturing machine.

The world’s second-largest economy is actually shipping out more products than ever before — it has simply shifted where those goods are going, steering them away from the U.S. tariff barrier and toward more accessible markets in Europe and parts of Asia.

That redirection of Chinese trade is raising fears of a repeat of what economists call the “China Shock” — the wave of factory closures that eliminated hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs across the American heartland in the 2000s. That economic disruption is widely credited with fueling the political unrest that helped put Donald Trump in the White House on two separate occasions. Now, analysts worry Europe could be next.

Even with U.S. sanctions in place, China posted a record global trade surplus last year — a staggering $1.2 trillion.

French President Emmanuel Macron sounded the alarm earlier this year, saying Chinese exports are “literally killing a large part of the European industry” and acknowledging that Europe was “slow to see that.”

European leaders are no longer looking the other way. China’s trade practices are expected to be front and center this week when leaders of the G7 wealthy democracies convene in Évian-les-Bains, France. French officials said last week they are hoping the summit produces a concrete strategy to confront the China problem.

One option on the table is for the European Union and other nations to erect their own higher tariff barriers against Chinese imports. Right now, the EU applies relatively modest tariffs on Chinese goods under World Trade Organization guidelines, though it does impose steeper duties on specific products — up to 35% on electric vehicles, for instance.

“China’s export surge, unless its leaders rein it in, will provoke a protectionist wave against Chinese imports worldwide,” said Maurice Obstfeld, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics and former chief economist at the International Monetary Fund. “All the more so if the current disruptions around the Iran war persist and cause a sharper global slowdown.”

An economist at HSBC, Taylor Wang, cautioned this month that a trade dispute between China and the EU could seriously hurt Chinese exports, noting that Europe represents a major portion of China’s overseas sales of electric vehicles, solar panels, and lithium-ion batteries.

European leaders are also pushing Trump to stop levying punishing tariffs on U.S. allies like the EU and Canada, and instead join forces with them to push back against China.

The original China Shock began around 2001, when China joined the World Trade Organization and gained reduced-tariff entry into the markets of the United States and Europe. American factories were overwhelmed by lower-cost Chinese textiles, furniture, electronics, and other manufactured goods.

Economists David Autor of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, David Dorn of the University of Zurich, and Gordon Hanson, now at Harvard, determined that Chinese competition resulted in the loss of 2.4 million American jobs.

What’s being called China Shock 2.0 is unfolding in a different way. The first time around, China was still establishing itself as a major global trading power. Today, it dominates world trade and manufacturing outright.

China held just 4% of global goods exports back in 2000. That figure has jumped to 16% — the highest of any nation on Earth — making Beijing’s trade decisions far more impactful on the world economy.

China has also moved upmarket, now exporting sophisticated products like electric vehicles, batteries, advanced machinery, software, and scientific instruments — putting it in direct competition with the world’s wealthiest countries. Chinese exports now compete with nearly 58% of goods exported by the 21 European nations that use the euro, up from 46% in 2000, according to a recent paper by researchers at the Federal Reserve and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

“The second China shock is characterized by its companies running the board on manufacturing exports — from low-tech, low-wage to high-tech high value-added industries,” said economist Eswar Prasad of Cornell University. “This is directly hitting advanced economies where it now hurts the most” — in high-tech sectors like electric vehicles and advanced robotics that many countries “had been counting on for a manufacturing revival.”

Germany has felt the impact severely. German companies once thrived by selling to Chinese consumers, but the tables have turned: China now exports more to Germany than it imports. German manufacturers are struggling to keep pace with Chinese competitors across key sectors — industrial machinery, construction equipment, automobiles, and chemicals — all pillars of Germany’s export-driven economy.

Largely due to Chinese competition, Germany’s economy has stalled, contracting in both 2023 and 2024, and managing only 0.2% growth last year.

The United States finds itself in a less vulnerable position than it was in the early 2000s. Trump’s tariffs have blocked a significant volume of Chinese goods. U.S. Commerce Department data shows Chinese exports to the United States dropped 37% from January through April this year compared to the same period in 2025.

America also benefits from producing its own energy — unlike the EU and Japan — and is experiencing a surge in productivity and investment in artificial intelligence.

Despite reduced access to the American market, China is still benefiting from strong global demand for its affordable electric vehicles and from AI-driven investment that fuels sales of Chinese electrical components and machinery used in data centers.

Chinese exports to the 27-nation EU climbed 16.4% from January through May compared to the previous year. For France specifically, that translated into a trade deficit with China — measured by Beijing’s customs figures — rising to $5.3 billion from $3.3 billion a year earlier.

Economists point to Chinese government policies that push factories to overproduce while discouraging consumer spending at home. State-run banks, for example, offer low interest rates to savers while providing cheap loans to government-backed manufacturers. A weak social safety net also pressures Chinese families to save rather than spend, as they brace for retirement and healthcare costs.

Obstfeld explained that these policies are partly designed to keep factories running and workers employed. “The result is an excess domestic supply of manufactured products, which must be exported abroad,” he said. The flood of low-priced Chinese goods on world markets then threatens to put European and other manufacturers out of business.

Beijing has also pushed companies to compete fiercely against one another domestically. “The rest of the world is ill prepared to compete with these apex predators,” Autor and Hanson wrote in a New York Times column last year.

China has repeatedly pledged to cut back on overproduction and stimulate domestic consumer spending — a goal the U.S. and other nations have urged for decades. Such a shift would reduce China’s dependence on exports and improve living standards for its own citizens, while also opening up a growing market for American and European goods. “The leadership has long said this is a goal,” Obstfeld noted, “but they have been slow to act as if they mean it.”

“Beijing has been relying on the rest of the world to address its overcapacity problem,” said former U.S. trade negotiator Wendy Cutler, now senior vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “However, this unsustainable situation may soon change if the EU and others take steps to halt Chinese imports, following the U.S. lead.”

European leaders are preparing to challenge President Donald Trump at this week’s G7 summit in France, warning that a shallow interim agreement with Iran could allow Tehran to continue developing its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities — while also calling on Trump to take a fresh look at his strategy for ending the war in Ukraine.

The summit, running from June 15 through 17 in Evian-les-Bains along the shores of Lake Geneva, has brought together the heads of government from France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States, along with the European Union.

Trump touched down in France on Monday evening riding a wave of momentum after Washington and Tehran reached a preliminary agreement aimed at resolving the broader conflict, with a formal signing ceremony set for Friday.

“The Iran deal will bring a lot of success,” Trump remarked shortly after arriving in Evian-les-Bains.

PUSHING FOR A STRONGER NUCLEAR AGREEMENT

French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the need for what he called a “solid, serious agreement that is finalised.” He said a Tuesday lunchtime session would be devoted to the safe reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, including the possible launch of a Franco-British maritime mission and identifying energy supply routes that could bypass the waterway altogether. Trump, for his part, predicted the strait would be “completely open” by Friday.

Leaders from the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt are also joining Tuesday’s discussions. Diplomats say those leaders are not expected to dig into the technical details of Iran’s nuclear program, but may lay out their broader expectations for the outcome.

The preliminary agreement is designed to open a 60-day window for complex follow-on negotiations covering issues such as what happens to Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpile and the conditions under which sanctions could be lifted.

Still, European allies are worried that an inexperienced U.S. negotiating team might fall short of locking in a strong nuclear deal or fail to address Iran’s ballistic missile program in the next phase — potentially leading to a prolonged standoff.

France, Britain, and Germany — which first engaged Iran on nuclear issues back in 2003 and later partnered with then-President Barack Obama to craft the 2015 nuclear accord — are seeking a seat at the table for the upcoming negotiations after being largely pushed to the sidelines in recent months.

Trump dismissed the earlier agreement before heading into a one-on-one meeting with Macron, saying of his deal: “It’s not like the Obama document, that was a terrible document.”

EUROPE WANTS A RESET ON UKRAINE

European diplomats are also viewing the summit as a chance to persuade Trump that previous U.S. proposals for ending the fighting in Ukraine have tilted too far in Russia’s favor.

European nations want to signal their readiness to engage in peace talks with President Vladimir Putin, while simultaneously tightening sanctions on Russia and stepping up military aid to Ukraine — making clear that it is Moscow, not Kyiv, that is standing in the way of progress.

Trump said he believed Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy were both “open to do something about the war.” Zelenskiy is scheduled to take part in the summit’s opening session, which is focused on “building peace in Ukraine,” and may also hold a separate conversation with Trump.

With negotiations stalled, Zelenskiy is pushing for a renewed push toward peace and a larger role for European nations in the process. He revealed Monday that he had offered to meet Putin at the G7 summit for direct talks to end the four-year conflict, but said Putin was not ready to engage.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered a pointed assessment of where things stand: “Ukraine is holding the front line and even partially regaining territory. Ukraine has developed the capability to strike strategic targets deep inside Russia. And Ukraine has become a world-leading producer of cutting-edge military equipment.”

She added: “On the other hand, Russia is feeling the strain and pressure of sanctions… Putin’s war economy has never been as weak.”

Zelenskiy has expressed concern that the conflict involving Iran has pulled U.S. attention away from Ukraine. Meanwhile, the situation on the battlefield has been shifting, with Ukrainian drones reaching deeper into Russian territory to disrupt supply lines and damage energy infrastructure.

A Kremlin foreign policy adviser said Putin believes that increased Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets will not change the overall military picture on the ground.

Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing is receiving a significant diplomatic boost through a state visit to China, where he is expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The five-day trip represents the highest level of diplomatic engagement and comes as the former military commander works to strengthen his authority over the conflict-ridden country following an election at the start of the year that drew widespread international condemnation.

The China visit follows a recent official trip to India, where Min Aung Hlaing met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi — though analysts noted that visit did not carry the full prestige of a formal state visit.

“An official state visit hosted by Xi Jinping is a visible signal that China is prepared to deal with Myanmar’s new administration as a full partner,” said Richard Horsey, the senior Myanmar adviser at Crisis Group. “India gave him a warm embrace on his recent visit, but not the full honours of an official state visit.”

While the diplomatic optics favor Min Aung Hlaing, analysts caution that Beijing’s priorities are firmly rooted in self-interest. China is Myanmar’s largest trading partner and top investor, with major Belt and Road Initiative projects in the country, including a cross-border oil and gas pipeline and a deep-sea port. Beijing also plays a key role as a military supplier and diplomatic ally for Myanmar’s armed forces, and has at times helped negotiate ceasefires along border regions controlled by ethnic armies with strong ties to China.

“China’s interests are not on federalism, but rare earths, infrastructure, mining, and securing the economic corridor to the Indian Ocean,” said David Mathieson, a Thailand-based independent analyst who closely follows Myanmar. “China also perceives the West in retreat from Myanmar and Beijing will assert a new suzerainty over the country.”

Myanmar has been engulfed in a brutal civil war since February 2021, when Min Aung Hlaing overthrew the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi. What began as protests against the military takeover evolved into a nationwide armed conflict, with the military fighting both newly formed pro-democracy groups and long-established ethnic armed organizations. The war has devastated the already impoverished Southeast Asian nation, claiming more than 93,000 lives and forcing more than 3.7 million people from their homes.

Despite the ongoing bloodshed, the military conducted a general election last December and January that blocked major opposition groups from participating. An army-backed party swept the vote, clearing the path for Min Aung Hlaing to assume the presidency.

The delegation traveling with Min Aung Hlaing to China includes the chief ministers of Kachin and Shan states — both of which share a border with China — along with Myanmar’s industry minister, according to state media reports. Kachin State, where fighting continues between the military and a major armed group, sits atop one of the world’s most significant heavy rare earth mining regions. Shan State maintains several key trade routes with China.

The presence of those ministers points to likely discussions around border commerce and the long-stalled Myitsone Dam, a $3.6 billion Chinese-backed project in Kachin State that was suspended in 2011, according to Aung Kyaw Soe, an independent analyst based in Thailand.

“In 2025, the military’s second-in-command, General Soe Win, personally began bringing up the subject of restarting Myitsone, so I think they will discuss restarting it during Min Aung Hlaing’s current trip to China,” Aung Kyaw Soe said.

Adding a layer of complexity to the visit is the recent detention in China of Min Zin, a well-known American scholar specializing in Myanmar, on suspicion of espionage. Crisis Group’s Horsey noted that the timing draws additional attention to the case. “Min Aung Hlaing’s visit will put a greater focus on Min Zin’s arrest, because he is one of the most prominent Myanmar scholars working to improve understanding between the two countries,” Horsey said.

A strong earthquake measuring 6.7 in magnitude rattled Indonesia’s Sulawesi island on Tuesday, according to the country’s geophysics agency, BMKG.

The agency reported that the quake’s epicenter was situated approximately 42 kilometers — or about 26 miles — to the southeast of the town of Palu. It struck at a depth of 10 kilometers below the surface.

BMKG confirmed that the earthquake did not generate a tsunami risk for the surrounding region.

KANCHANABURI, Thailand — A piece of World War II history has emerged from the depths of a Thai reservoir, offering a brief but remarkable window into the past.

When maintenance work at Vajiralongkorn Dam required draining the facility’s reservoir, it uncovered Nithe Station — a site that had been submerged for over 40 years. The station was once a key depot along the notorious “Death Railway,” a 415-kilometer (257-mile) route stretching between what was then Siam and Burma, now known as Thailand and Myanmar.

Researchers are moving quickly to document the site before it disappears again. Once dam maintenance wraps up in August, combined with the region’s rainy season, the area could be flooded once more.

The railway earned its grim nickname during World War II, when the Empire of Japan forced approximately 60,000 Allied prisoners of war — along with hundreds of thousands of Asian laborers — to construct the line. More than 12,500 of those POWs and around 75,000 laborers lost their lives during the brutal construction effort.

For some researchers, the work is deeply personal. Andrew Snow, a researcher at the Thailand-Burma Railway Centre, has a direct family connection to the site. His father was captured in Singapore in 1942 and compelled to work on the railway. “We deal with a lot of relatives of POWs. Some of those POWs worked in the area we’re talking about, up at Nithe, and it’s a good opportunity for us to do some surveying… so that we can show relatives in the future,” Snow said.

Independent researcher Martyn Fryer traveled all the way from Australia to see the fully exposed station — his third visit to Nithe overall. His grandfather perished as a POW while building the railway. Fryer said he made the journey to see firsthand “what infrastructure is lying under the water.”

The Death Railway’s legacy continues to draw visitors to Thailand. Portions of the original line remain in operation today, carrying both locals and tourists. Educational facilities such as The Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre work to preserve and share the railway’s history with new generations.

For some travelers, visiting the region is about more than sightseeing. Michael Weber, a German tourist at Thamkra Sae Station, reflected on what travel means to him. “Traveling presents the chance to learn about the people and the culture of the place you’re going,” he said. “And part of the culture is always the history.”

China’s economy is sending mixed signals, with fresh government data revealing a growing divide between a booming manufacturing sector and a struggling consumer base.

Industrial production climbed 4.5% in May compared to the same month last year, an improvement over the 4.1% growth seen in April, according to figures released Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics. That result came in ahead of analyst forecasts, which had projected a 4.3% gain.

A worldwide boom in artificial intelligence investment has helped China’s massive manufacturing sector weather the trade disruptions stemming from turmoil in the Middle East. Exports surged 19.4% — but that windfall has not translated into stronger spending at home.

Consumer retail sales, considered a key indicator of domestic demand, dropped 0.6% in May. That reversed a modest 0.2% gain recorded in April and came in below forecasts of flat growth. It marked the first monthly decline in retail sales since December 2022.

The auto industry reflected that weakness clearly. Car sales inside China fell for the eighth month in a row in May, highlighting softening demand in the world’s largest vehicle market. Analysts expect that pressure to continue through the remainder of the year.

Even a five-day national holiday in early May — the Labour Day break — failed to spark a meaningful boost in consumer activity. The effect of a government program encouraging consumers to trade in old goods for new ones has also been fading.

Tuesday’s data underscores what economists describe as a two-speed economy: exports are performing exceptionally well, while domestic demand continues to weaken against the backdrop of a prolonged slump in the property market.

Inflation figures also reflect this imbalance. The gap between rising factory-gate prices — which hit their highest point since July 2022 — and nearly stagnant consumer prices suggests that production is outpacing what households are actually buying.

Investment figures came in well below expectations. Fixed-asset investment dropped 4.1% during the first five months of 2025, a steeper decline than the 1.6% fall recorded through April. Economists had anticipated only a 2% decrease.

Real estate investment continued to slide as well, falling 16.2% in the January-through-May period compared to the same stretch last year. That follows a 13.7% drop in the first four months of the year. New home prices also declined at a slightly faster pace in May on a month-over-month basis.

Data on household borrowing released last week suggested that many Chinese consumers remain reluctant to take out loans to purchase homes, amid slow income growth and concerns about job stability.

The national unemployment rate dipped slightly to 5.1% in May, down from 5.2% in April, though worker anxiety persists — partly driven by fears that artificial intelligence could displace jobs.

Researchers are scrambling to western Thailand after a long-submerged train depot from World War II’s notorious “Death Railway” emerged from beneath a reservoir, offering an uncommon glimpse into one of the war’s darkest chapters.

The station, known as Nithe Station, sits in Kanchanaburi province and was uncovered after the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand drained the reservoir at Vajiralongkorn Dam for routine maintenance. Historians are taking advantage of the rare window to search for artifacts and confirm historical details about the site.

The clock is ticking, however. Dam maintenance is expected to wrap up in August, and Southeast Asia’s rainy season could soon refill the reservoir, sending Nithe back beneath the water.

Nithe was a significant stop along the 415-kilometer (257-mile) railway that once linked Thailand — then called Siam — with Myanmar, which was known as Burma at the time. The line was constructed using the forced labor of roughly 60,000 Allied prisoners of war, primarily from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Indonesia, then called the Dutch East Indies. Hundreds of thousands of Asian laborers, referred to by the Japanese as römusha, also worked on the project.

The human cost was staggering. More than 12,500 Allied POWs and approximately 75,000 laborers died during construction — a toll that earned the route its grim nickname, “The Death Railway.”

The railway has been immortalized in popular culture, including the classic 1957 film “The Bridge on the River Kwai” and the 2013 movie “The Railway Man.” It also served as the subject of the award-winning novel “The Narrow Road to the Deep North,” which was adapted into a 2025 miniseries featuring Australian actor Jacob Elordi.

Independent Australian researcher Martyn Fryer made the journey from Perth specifically to walk the site. His grandfather perished as a prisoner of war while laboring on the railway following his capture in Singapore in 1942.

Fryer waded through muddy terrain in sweltering 38-degree Celsius (100-degree Fahrenheit) heat, saying he wanted to “understand what those lads went through and to appreciate the country and the terrain that they endured.”

Fryer, who authored a book about his grandfather’s regiment titled “From the Woodlands to the Jungle,” swept the historic railway embankments with a metal detector and uncovered iron dog spikes, bridge staples, and other wartime relics.

“I’ve been to Nithe Station three times in the past, but the water level has always been too high to actually really appreciate the fantastic offerings that it has with the remaining infrastructure and the layout of the railway itself,” Fryer said.

To help pinpoint where POW camps once stood, Fryer compared wartime aerial photographs sourced from the National Archives in London with hand-drawn maps brought by Andrew Snow, a researcher with the Thailand–Burma Railway Centre. Snow’s father, like Fryer’s grandfather, was captured in Singapore and compelled to work on the railway.

Snow noted that the dry season in Southeast Asia typically exposes small portions of the station, but this year water levels dropped lower than usual — and drained so rapidly that vegetation has not had time to grow back, making the site far easier to examine.

“It is a good opportunity for us to do some surveying,” Snow said. “When you’re dealing with relatives of people that worked on the railway, it’s always nice to be able to show them the areas that maybe their relative worked on.”

The exposed station has also drawn significant public attention. Kitti Laokham, a 47-year-old local resident, posted footage of Nithe online that has since accumulated 32 million views on social media. Hundreds of Thai visitors have traveled to the area to witness what Laokham described as a “rare incident.”

Channarong Noimala was among those drawn to the site, riding a motorbike 350 kilometers (217 miles) northwest from Bangkok after seeing the videos.

“At least for those who died here, no matter whether they are laborers or prisoners of war, we can remember them,” Noimala said.

Roughly 100 kilometers (60 miles) of winding mountain roads southwest of Nithe lies Hellfire Pass, a grueling stretch of mountain terrain where hundreds of POWs lost their lives. The Hellfire Pass Interpretive Centre, which is funded by the Australian government, welcomed a record 169,000 visitors last year — coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

Mick Clarke, an Australian Army veteran who oversees the center, reflected on the site’s growing significance.

“As time passes, places like Hellfire Pass become even more important,” Clarke said. “They keep personal stories alive and help future generations understand the cost of war.”

According to Australia’s Department of Veterans’ Affairs, around 22,000 Australians became prisoners of war during the conflict, with about 13,000 working on the railway and 2,800 dying during its construction.

“For many Australians, Hellfire Pass is deeply personal,” Clarke added. “It connects families and the nation to a difficult but important chapter of wartime history.”

Russian regional authorities confirmed Tuesday that debris from a drone triggered a fire at an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, located in southern Russia just across from the Crimean peninsula.

The fire broke out at the oil storage facility in the Poltavskaya area of Krasnodar. Officials reported no casualties as a result of the blaze and shared the update through a post on Telegram.

In response to the incident, authorities closed a local road that connects the affected area to a regional route leading to the bridge spanning the Kerch Strait — the crossing that links the Krasnodar region to Crimea. That bridge was constructed by Moscow following its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

The Kerch Strait bridge serves as one of several key supply routes into the Black Sea peninsula, alongside a handful of roads running through nearby Russian-controlled areas of Ukraine.

The fire comes just a day after Ukraine struck two bridges connecting Russian-held territory in Ukraine’s Kherson region to Crimea. The peninsula has been grappling with a fuel shortage as Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Crimea’s supply lines in recent weeks.

The Krasnodar region, which draws large numbers of tourists during the summer months, has also been feeling the strain. The regional governor noted last week that disruptions to fuel supplies have led to panic-buying among residents, as Ukraine continues to target Russian energy infrastructure.

BEIJING — Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal sat down with China’s leading diplomat Wang Yi on Monday in Beijing, marking his first official visit to the neighboring superpower since his party claimed victory in March elections — and coming just days after he wrapped up a trip to China’s regional rival, India.

For Chinese diplomats, the change in government on their doorstep creates a tricky situation. Analysts say Beijing has been working hard to maintain strong ties with neighboring countries while also pressing its territorial claims in the East and South China Seas — and the removal of a Communist Party-led coalition government in Nepal complicates that effort.

According to a statement released by China’s foreign ministry late Monday, Wang told Khanal that “China has always placed Nepal at the forefront of its ‘neighbourhood diplomacy’” and pledged that China “will support Nepal in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

Analysts note that Nepal’s close relationship with the South Asian powerhouse India gives the country of roughly 30 million people some leverage when dealing with China — putting Beijing in the unusual position of having to demonstrate its value as a partner.

Nepal and India have had a long-running dispute over their shared 1,751-kilometer (1,088-mile) border that has stretched on for about 80 years. Still, when Khanal met with officials in Delhi earlier this month, he indicated that the new Nepalese government was “free from the political baggage from the past” and eager to strengthen ties with India.

Relations between Nepal and China have stalled in recent years, largely due to delays in delivering infrastructure projects tied to Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s signature “Belt and Road” initiative. Nepal joined that program in 2017, but disagreements over financing have slowed progress significantly.

During Monday’s meeting, Wang reaffirmed China’s intention to help build up Nepal’s infrastructure, pointing to planned cooperation in areas including electricity generation, road construction, ports, and aviation.

Eric Olander, co-founder of the China-Global South Project — a media and research organization — suggested China may not have anticipated the shift in Nepal’s political landscape.

“Beijing doesn’t like change that directly impacts them,” Olander said. “Change that is potentially hostile or challenges their interest is what gets their attention.”

“My guess is they didn’t see this coming in Nepal and they don’t like it when popular movements overthrow incumbent governments,” he added.

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — South Africa is marking half a century since the Soweto uprising, a deadly confrontation in which more than 200 young demonstrators were shot and killed by police while protesting the apartheid government’s education policies.

The events of June 16, 1976 — observed each year as Youth Day — are widely regarded as a turning point in the nation’s long struggle against white minority rule. The violence sparked further demonstrations across the country, intensified resistance to apartheid, and drew global attention to the racial oppression endured by Black South Africans.

Yet five decades later, serious concerns remain about the state of young people in the country. Uprising survivors, historians, and young South Africans alike have spoken out about the hardships still facing the nation’s youth — including deep inequality, high rates of unemployment, widespread poverty, and social issues such as drug and alcohol abuse.

Soweto, one of South Africa’s oldest townships, is dotted with landmarks tied to that historic day, drawing visitors from both home and abroad. Among them is a memorial named for Hector Pieterson, the 13-year-old whose lifeless body — captured in a photograph that circulated around the world — became one of the most recognizable images of the 1976 uprising.

Murals and billboards showing protesting students are visible throughout the township, which is also home to the June 16 Memorial dedicated to those events. For survivors, however, these symbols carry a heavy emotional weight.

Seth Mazibuko, who lived through the deadly protests, recalled in vivid detail how students pushed back against police attempts to break up the crowd using tear gas.

“They struggled with the tear gas because when they threw it our way, the wind would blow the gas back to them, so it was also affecting them,” Mazibuko said. “They then started sending the police dogs to us, we used stones to chase the dogs back to them.”

Mazibuko was arrested following the protests and held for 18 months before being sent to Robben Island, where he spent seven years imprisoned alongside other political prisoners.

South Africa has changed enormously in the 50 years since the uprising, but the so-called “born free” generation — those who grew up after the fall of apartheid — still faces steep obstacles.

“I would say the issues of poverty and crime are the most pressing ones,” said Sima Poto, a 19-year-old who was visiting the June 16 Memorial. “It is poverty that is leading many of them into crime.”

Zola Mguli, a 29-year-old who works with the Southern African Alcohol Policy Alliance — an organization focused on combating alcohol and substance abuse — said he feels fortunate to have grown up in a free South Africa, even as major problems persist. “Things are not going as well as our forefathers hoped, there is still racism, alcoholism and other things we are battling with,” he said. “But if we, the youth, rise up, we can do better.”

Historian Noor Nieftagodien described the 1976 student protest movement as both a traumatic and transformative moment that fundamentally shifted the anti-apartheid struggle by elevating young people to the center of liberation politics.

“This was a generation that was young, gifted, and Black,” he said. “They wanted education.”

“The idea of Black power resonated with this new generation of young people,” Nieftagodien added. “Black consciousness was kind of electrifying; it inspired university students and then increasingly also students in high schools.”

He expressed concern that since June 16 was declared a public holiday after apartheid’s end, the day’s deeper significance has faded, overshadowed by festivities that he believes dilute its political meaning.

“It has lost its meaning,” he said. “What has happened is that we’ve had the day marked with concerts, etc. I’m all for concerts. But, in fact, in so doing, the kind of celebrations that have been organized have been disinvested from politics, from a critical understanding of what happened.”

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, one of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, is calling on both Russia and Ukraine to make compromises in order to bring their long-running war to an end. The comments came in an interview published Monday with Al Arabiya television and later republished by Belarus’ Belta news agency.

Lukashenko stated that a battlefield victory is simply not realistic for either side, even as he acknowledged that Russian forces continue to move forward in certain areas.

“Today, we need to use any steps to reach a peaceful agreement through compromises. For the long term,” Lukashenko said in the interview.

He went on to say that if both sides come to understand the limits of what force can achieve, a deal becomes possible. “If they realise on both sides … you can’t go further, otherwise there will be escalation and an even worse situation … If this sinks into the minds of the fighters and their supporters, it means a compromise can be reached,” he said.

Belarus permitted Russia to launch its full-scale invasion of Ukraine from Belarusian soil back in 2022 and has since allowed Moscow to station nuclear weapons within its borders. Russia’s early push toward the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv ultimately failed, and over the past four years the conflict has settled into a grinding war of incremental gains in Ukraine’s south and east, at enormous cost to both sides in lives and equipment.

Lukashenko extended his assessment beyond Ukraine, arguing that military solutions are off the table in multiple global conflicts. “Neither side has a military solution. There is no military solution in Ukraine or in the Middle East,” he said.

While describing Russian forces as advancing “step-by-step” against determined Ukrainian resistance, Lukashenko pointed to a critical problem facing both armies — a shortage of personnel. “Russians are experiencing this shortage. Maybe not like in Ukraine, but it’s there. But that’s the main issue of this conflict — they are running out of people,” he said.

Lukashenko has consistently maintained that Belarusian troops will not be sent into the conflict in Ukraine, while also stating that Russia and Belarus would stand together in their own defense. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has said his forces have strengthened their positions on the battlefield in recent months and has raised concerns that Russia could use Belarusian territory as a launching point for new attacks.

Lukashenko pushed back on those concerns, insisting Ukraine has nothing to fear from Belarus. “Absolutely nothing to fear. Absolutely. They know it, the soldiers know it. The people of Ukraine know it,” he said, adding that “this topic gets stirred up by political ambitions.”

Efforts to broker peace through U.S.-led negotiations have hit a wall, with Washington’s focus now largely directed toward the conflict involving Iran. Zelenskiy has repeatedly urged direct talks with Putin.

A group of indigenous Taiwanese set off Monday on a historic ocean voyage, paddling a handcrafted wooden canoe across the Bashi Channel toward the Philippines in an effort to breathe new life into a maritime route that has gone unused for hundreds of years.

The travelers are members of the Tao people, who call Orchid Island home — a Pacific island located roughly 50 nautical miles off Taiwan’s southeastern county of Taitung. The Tao share deep cultural and ancestral ties with the indigenous inhabitants of the Batanes Islands, which lie to the north of Luzon, the Philippines’ main island.

The canoe making the journey, called Ovayan — meaning “Golden Friendship” — was built by craftspeople from six different communities on Orchid Island as part of a government-supported initiative. The crossing is expected to take approximately 24 hours, with 60 paddlers rotating in shifts while support vessels travel alongside for safety.

Maraos, who serves as chairperson of Taiwan’s Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation and is himself a Tao from Orchid Island, described the deeper purpose behind the expedition. “So with this project, we are re-establishing the sea route between Orchid Island and Batanes, allowing our cultures and languages to continue being passed on,” said Maraos, who goes by one name.

One of the rowers, Hsieh Hsiu-hsiung, 61, a diving instructor, acknowledged both the challenges and the comfort of having modern vessels nearby. “Nowadays we have modern vessels accompanying us and sailing together with us, so we are not afraid,” Hsieh said. “In the past, we don’t know what methods our ancestors used; perhaps looking at the stars and the moon, to navigate while sailing.”

The Tao are among Taiwan’s smaller indigenous communities, numbering only around 5,000 people. Indigenous groups as a whole make up less than 3% of Taiwan’s total population of 23 million.

While Orchid Island draws visitors as a tourist destination, its remote location and frequent bouts of rough weather can leave it cut off from the Taiwanese mainland for stretches of time.

The Bashi Channel, which the canoe must cross, is a strategically significant waterway linking the South China Sea to the Pacific Ocean — an area regularly patrolled by Chinese warships. Maraos expressed hope that the voyage would be met with respect rather than interference. “We hope that this voyage can be respected by all countries,” he said. “Most importantly, we do not want to be harassed by warships from other countries or vessels from other countries while we are at sea.”

An Ecuadorean candidate seeking to become the next United Nations secretary-general told a candidacy hearing Monday that while the global organization remains vital, it must be reduced in size in a thoughtful and deliberate way.

Maria Fernanda Espinosa, who previously served as both foreign affairs minister and defense minister of Ecuador, is one of six people competing to take over from Antonio Guterres when his term concludes at the end of this year.

Whoever steps into that role will inherit a massive challenge: breathing new life into an organization that has seen its influence and reputation diminish in recent years.

“I am under no illusion about the difficulties ahead, yet I remain optimistic,” Espinosa stated during her candidacy hearing.

Like the other candidates in the running, she pledged to push forward with reform efforts at the UN, while stressing that the need for the organization — founded in the aftermath of World War Two — was still “undeniable.”

“Too often the U.N. is missing in action, or relegated to the sidelines. Too often it is slow, fragmented, and constrained … the U.N. needs to rebuild credibility and show, not just say, that it can deliver real change,” she said.

She also made clear her vision for restructuring: “We can shrink the U.N. responsibly, while strengthening national ownership and delivery, and restoring faith in the U.N.”

Espinosa, who previously served as Ecuador’s ambassador to the UN and led the UN General Assembly between 2018 and 2019, suggested that national governments could take on expanded roles in areas where the UN currently operates, though she did not elaborate on specifics.

Within Ecuador, she was part of the leftist administration of former President Rafael Correa, though she has distanced herself from his political party over the past several years.

The small Caribbean island nation of Antigua and Barbuda put her name forward as a candidate to replace Guterres. Ecuador’s current government, led by President Daniel Noboa — a right-wing ally of U.S. President Donald Trump — has not weighed in on her candidacy.

Last week, Guyana’s President Irfaan Ali announced that his country would put forward its UN Ambassador, Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, for the position.

Back in April, four additional candidates also pledged their commitment to UN reform while emphasizing the organization’s core missions of promoting peace and supporting global development. Those candidates are Rebeca Grynspan, a former vice president of Costa Rica; Michelle Bachelet, the former president of Chile; Macky Sall, a former president of Senegal; and Rafael Grossi of Argentina, who currently serves as director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The selection process is expected to conclude later this year. Notably, no woman has ever held the position of UN secretary-general.

By tradition, the secretary-general is not drawn from one of the five permanent members of the Security Council — Britain, China, France, Russia, and the United States — though the support of those powerful nations plays a crucial role in the complex and opaque selection process.

BRUSSELS — The European Union has opened up its emergency cyber security assistance program to Ukraine, according to an announcement from the European Commission on Monday.

Under the newly extended access, Ukraine is now able to activate incident response services through vetted private providers whenever the country faces significant or large-scale cyber incidents.

Moldova had already been brought into the same support framework back in 2024, making Ukraine the latest nation to gain access to the program.

When Herut Davidson hits post on a video in Arabic, she braces for the reaction. Some viewers respond with hostility, calling her a propagandist. But others — sometimes reaching out quietly, and sometimes from countries where any contact with Israelis is considered off-limits — tell her that hearing an Israeli Jewish woman speak their language has transformed their perspective.

Davidson is an Israeli content creator who has grown an audience of more than 90,000 followers between TikTok, where she goes by hurriya.it.is.me, and Instagram, where she posts as hurriya.its_my_name. Her goal is as ambitious as it is controversial: communicating directly with Arab-speaking audiences in their own language during a period when war, deep political divisions, and clashing narratives have made mutual understanding harder than ever.

For Davidson, social media represents both a challenge and a chance. She has noted that traditional news outlets tend to leave everyday people relying on official or dominant versions of events, while social platforms give individuals the power to speak for themselves and reach audiences directly.

One message that has stuck with her captures the essence of what she is trying to accomplish — a viewer telling her: ‘Thanks to your content, I don’t hate Israelis anymore.’

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Monday to demand that Afghanistan’s Taliban leadership swiftly undo its crackdown on women’s rights and take action against militant groups operating within Afghanistan’s borders — groups that Pakistan blames for deadly cross-border attacks.

China’s UN Ambassador Fu Cong, whose country put forward the resolution, expressed hope that the Afghan government would “take more proactive measures to protect human rights, especially the rights of women, and project an image of openness, inclusivity and responsibility.”

The measure extends the UN’s political mission in Afghanistan through June 17, 2027, and gives it authority to support the delivery of humanitarian aid “without discrimination.” It also directs the mission to promote governance at both the national and local levels “without any discrimination based on sex, religion or ethnicity, with the full, equal, meaningful and safe participation of women, … minorities, youth and persons with disabilities.”

The vote came after Taliban authorities arrested at least 30 women in the western city of Herat this month, accusing them of violating the Taliban’s rigid dress requirements. A rare public protest that erupted in response to those arrests was forcibly broken up by Taliban police, who shot and killed one person and wounded several others, according to the UN mission known as UNAMA.

The Taliban have governed Afghanistan since 2021, following the chaotic exit of U.S.-led military forces. Since taking power, they have enforced a strict reading of Islamic law, or Shariah, imposing sweeping restrictions on women and girls — including banning girls from attending school beyond the primary level and barring women from many types of employment. Religious and ethnic minorities have also faced significant restrictions.

The resolution also authorizes the UN mission to help facilitate dialogue between the Taliban and neighboring countries as well as the broader international community.

U.S. deputy ambassador Jennifer Locetta stressed that action from the Taliban is essential for any progress. “For that political process to succeed, the Taliban must act,” she said. “The Taliban must meet their counterterrorism commitments, respect Afghanistan’s international obligations, end hostage diplomacy, and cease their unconscionable abuses of the human rights of women and girls.”

Meanwhile, tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to simmer. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of sheltering militants responsible for deadly attacks on Pakistani soil — a charge the Taliban rejects. Hundreds of people have died in clashes between the two nations since February, when Afghanistan launched attacks against Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes conducted inside Afghan territory.

Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Asim Ahmad welcomed the resolution, saying it “expresses the council’s serious concern over the presence of terrorist groups in Afghanistan, which continue to constitute a threat to international peace and security.”

The resolution also tasks UNAMA with supporting Afghanistan’s economic recovery, including helping to facilitate business and financial activity and backing efforts to return assets belonging to Afghanistan’s Central Bank “for the benefit of the Afghan people.”

MIAMI (AP) — One of the primary websites that Cubans living in the United States rely on to send money, food, and clothing to family members back home has halted its operations as the Trump administration intensifies its economic pressure on the Cuban government.

Envioscuba.com has announced it is no longer accepting new orders, a move that comes amid escalating rounds of U.S. sanctions designed to cut off international financial support for Cuban businesses. The most recent sanctions have targeted Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, and GAESA — a large business conglomerate controlled by Cuba’s Revolutionary Armed Forces that operates everything from car rental agencies and retail shops to transportation companies.

The burden of these measures is falling hardest on ordinary Cubans, who are already struggling with severe shortages of food and medicine, near-constant power outages, and extreme heat. Many have depended on support from relatives and friends in the United States, who send money and packages from Miami filled with appliances, groceries, and clothing — or purchase goods through online portals for delivery directly on the island.

While Envioscuba.com says it will honor and deliver all orders that were previously placed and approved, no new purchases are being accepted. The site offered little explanation for the decision, stating only: “Due to reasons beyond our control, our platform can no longer provide services.” It remains unclear exactly when the site stopped accepting new orders.

Attempts by the Associated Press to reach the company were unsuccessful. The website provides no phone number or email address for contact.

Emilio Morales, president of Havana Consulting Group — a Miami-based firm that focuses on market strategies for doing business in Cuba — explained that platforms like Envioscuba.com were operating in direct partnership with Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. He noted that most of these portals, including Envioscuba.com, do not actually ship products from the U.S. to Cuba. Instead, they sell and arrange delivery of goods already stored in GAESA warehouses on the island.

Morales predicted more closures are on the horizon. “The trend is for all of this to disappear, because GAESA is behind it all,” he said, adding that other similar platforms are likely to shut down as well rather than risk being penalized for conducting business with the Cuban government.

The sanctions carry serious consequences for foreign companies, threatening to freeze their U.S.-held assets and potentially bar their investors, employees, and shareholders from traveling to the United States — effectively cutting them off from the American financial system entirely.

In a related development, Spanish hotel chain Meliá recently announced it will stop managing 15 of the 34 hotels it currently operates in Cuba, adding to a growing number of international companies that are pulling back or scaling down their presence on the island.

HAVANA (AP) — Cuba’s most vulnerable patients are bearing the brunt of U.S. energy restrictions, with surgical procedures being postponed, kidney dialysis schedules thrown into chaos, and children battling cancer facing a dramatically higher risk of death, according to a report released Monday by Cuban state-run outlet Cubadebate.

The report reveals that the survival rate for children with cancer has plummeted from 85% to just 65% since energy restrictions took effect in January. It also states that 100,000 children under the age of 7 are no longer receiving the daily liter of milk they had previously been provided by the government, and that Cuba’s 16-vaccine immunization program for infants is now considered “at risk.”

The report further notes that 100,000 Cubans are currently waiting for surgical procedures, and that treatment schedules for nearly 3,000 patients who require kidney dialysis have been thrown off course. On the medication front, 300 out of 395 essential medicines normally produced on the island are now unavailable due to shortages of the chemical components needed to make them.

Cuba operates a free, universal healthcare system, but that system has been pushed to its limits by a combination of resource shortages, scarce fuel supplies, and power outages lasting more than 20 hours at a time.

The island went three months without receiving a fuel shipment after the U.S. took action against Venezuela, one of Cuba’s key oil suppliers, and threatened tariffs against any nation that sells or delivers oil to Cuba.

Cuba was already struggling under a significant tightening of longstanding U.S. sanctions, which restrict the country from importing certain goods. The Trump administration has demanded that Cuba’s socialist government free political prisoners, undertake sweeping economic reforms, and change how it governs — or risk being deemed a national security threat. Cuba has consistently maintained that it does not pose any threat to the United States.

As the standoff between the two nations intensifies, United Nations officials have sounded alarms about a looming humanitarian disaster. In late March, the UN launched an emergency fundraising appeal on behalf of the island.

Paolo Spadoni, an associate professor at Augusta University in Georgia, described the current situation in stark terms. “What we are experiencing now is a unique situation,” he said. “There is no doubt that there were problems with healthcare and basic services in Cuba, but there is also no doubt that these recent events have vastly amplified what was already happening, and that we are now in a different dimension.”

While Spadoni acknowledged that Cuba faces real challenges and systemic failures that require reform, he argued that “it is impossible to deny” that the United States carries responsibility for the “acute humanitarian crisis” now unfolding there.

Monday’s Cubadebate report also revealed that roughly 1,400 megawatts of electricity generating capacity have gone offline due to shortages of diesel and fuel oil at smaller power plants, and that larger thermoelectric plants are unable to receive the spare parts they need.

Bread supplies have also been cut roughly in half compared to pre-restriction levels, the report said, due to “logistical and payment hurdles” in wheat procurement. A lack of fuel has also prevented the delivery of 170 containers of essential goods across the country.

The report concluded with a pointed statement: “Beyond numbers and coercive measures, the blockade amounts to an extreme and unjustifiable form of collective punishment inflicted on the Cuban people.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Monday that while negotiations over a potential deal with Iran are ongoing, the final terms of any agreement remain unknown — but he made one thing clear: Iran will not be permitted to acquire nuclear weapons.

At a press conference, Netanyahu declined to draw comparisons between the current diplomatic effort and past negotiations, saying it was too early to do so.

“I would not make that comparison yet,” Netanyahu said. “We do not know what the agreement will be.”

Netanyahu argued that the key distinction between now and previous rounds of diplomacy is the presence of a credible military threat against Iran. He pointed to a large-scale air campaign as evidence of that pressure.

“I can say that the fundamental difference between the situation then and the situation today is that every agreement must be accompanied by a credible military threat,” he said. “Back then there was no credible military threat. There was no military threat. Today, because of what we did — not only the United States, because of us, because we went in there with 14,000 sorties — that is the biggest difference.”

He later clarified the figure, saying the total number of sorties was approximately 140,000, split roughly evenly between Israel and the United States.

“About 140,000 sorties, roughly half and half,” Netanyahu said. “For us, a little, roughly half and half between the United States and us. There is a credible military threat.”

The prime minister framed his stance as the product of a lifelong commitment to keeping nuclear weapons out of Iranian hands.

“I can speak about my commitment as prime minister of Israel, who has devoted most of his adult life to only one thing: preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons,” he said.

Netanyahu contended that without the steps he has taken over the years, Iran would already be a nuclear-armed state.

“If I had not done the things I did over the years, Iran would long ago have had atomic bombs,” Netanyahu said. “So they do not have them, and I do not intend for them to have them.”

He left no doubt that Israel would take whatever action is needed to ensure that outcome.

“We will do what is necessary,” he said. “Again, I am not limiting myself in any way regarding that objective, and that objective is simple: Iran will not have nuclear weapons.”

When asked whether Israel was bound by any provisions in the US-Iran agreement relating to Lebanon or Iran, Netanyahu made clear that the deal is being driven by Washington.

“This agreement is being made by the United States, by the president of the United States,” he said. “He thinks he can truly combine both the opening of the straits and the elimination of the nuclear program.”

Netanyahu said he has communicated his views directly to President Trump, while acknowledging that the United States is leading the diplomatic effort.

“I said this is his decision,” Netanyahu said. “I repeat and say: This is his decision. He is leading this, and of course I expressed my opinion in various conversations.”

On the question of his relationship with President Trump, Netanyahu acknowledged that disagreements do occur between the two leaders, but said their longstanding ties remain intact. He noted that while they frequently see eye to eye, there are moments when their positions differ, and that his decisions are driven by Israel’s security needs rather than public appearances.

“We have known each other for a long time,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu also pushed back against suggestions that Operation Rising Lion had failed to achieve its goals. He argued that the campaign had neutralized what he described as an existential threat, severely damaged Iran’s economy and infrastructure, and helped set conditions under which the Iranian people might challenge their own government.

He also reaffirmed Israel’s commitment to maintaining a security buffer zone in Lebanon, dismissing Iranian demands that Israel withdraw.

“Second, regarding Lebanon, we created a buffer zone there, a security zone,” Netanyahu said. “We will remain in it as long as required. Iran wanted us to withdraw from there. That did not happen.”

He attributed Israel’s refusal to withdraw, in part, to his own firm resolve.

“Do you know why that did not happen?” Netanyahu said. “Among other things, because I stood very, very firm. I was very, very decisive on this matter, and I think our American friends respect that determination and that firm stand.”

Netanyahu said the security zone is essential for protecting communities in northern Israel.

“We are staying there because we need to protect the residents of the north, and there are other things as well,” he said. “In any case, we want to preserve, and are acting to preserve, our freedom of action.”

The prime minister also reported that Israeli forces carried out operations Monday against individuals who threatened or approached Israeli troops in a hostile manner.

“If people come and attack us, attack us or come to attack us, as happened today — then we eliminated four terrorists,” he said. “Two motorcyclists who approached our forces in a threatening manner were eliminated, and afterward two more terrorists.”

Netanyahu closed by reiterating Israel’s dual objectives of maintaining military freedom of action and holding the security zone to shield northern residents.

“We are preserving our freedom of action, and we are preserving the security zone in order to protect the residents of the north,” he said.

JOHANNESBURG — The world of jazz is mourning the loss of one of South Africa’s most celebrated musicians. Abdullah Ibrahim, formerly known as Dollar Brand, died peacefully in Germany at the age of 91 following a short illness, with family members by his side. His family made the announcement in a statement released Monday.

A native of Cape Town, Ibrahim built an extraordinary career as a pianist, composer, and bandleader over more than seven decades. He became known for weaving together jazz and South African musical traditions in a way that earned him recognition as a cultural ambassador, connecting audiences around the globe to the sounds and spirit of his homeland.

Among his most memorable moments was performing at Nelson Mandela’s presidential inauguration in 1994 — a milestone that cemented his place in South African history. His final concert on South African soil came just recently, at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival in March, where he once again demonstrated the extraordinary talent that defined his life’s work.

His partner, Dr. Marina Umari, offered a heartfelt tribute, saying he “passed away peacefully with South Africa and its people in his heart.” She added, “His love for his country never wavered, no matter where in the world he found himself.”

His family expressed that while Ibrahim’s life has come to an end, his influence and voice will continue to echo across the world for generations to come.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa honored Ibrahim’s memory, recognizing both his contributions to the fight against apartheid and the enduring impact of his music. “Today our nation mourns the passing of an international icon and global citizen whose profound creations honored the South Africa that shaped his political commitment and musical brilliance,” Ramaphosa said.

In 2009, Ibrahim received an Honorary Doctorate in Music from Wits University. That same year, former President Jacob Zuma presented him with the Order of Ikhamanga, one of South Africa’s most prestigious civilian honors.

Alan Winde, the mayor of the Western Cape — the region that includes Ibrahim’s hometown — also paid his respects, saying, “South Africa has lost a legend. Abdullah Ibrahim represented everything that makes South Africa and the Western Cape so remarkable. His music told the story of our unique cultural diversity and past.”

According to his family, Ibrahim will be buried in the German state of Bavaria, where he had made his home.

BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Colombia’s largest active rebel organization has declared a self-imposed ceasefire as the South American nation braces for a highly contentious presidential election this coming weekend.

The National Liberation Army, commonly known by its Spanish initials ELN, announced through its official X account that its fighters have been ordered to stand down from attacks against the Colombian military between June 20 and June 23. The country’s presidential election is scheduled for Sunday, June 21.

In its statement, the ELN said it stands behind citizens’ “right to vote freely” and emphasized that the group does not wish to “threaten any of the candidates, or stop people from voting.”

The rebel organization also took aim at outside nations, warning against any foreign involvement in the electoral process. “We cannot accept any involvement by leaders of other countries in political decisions that should only concern Colombians,” the statement read.

The election is shaping up to be a sharp contest between Sen. Iván Cepeda, a political ally of sitting President Gustavo Petro, and conservative attorney Abelardo de la Espriella, who received an endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this month. De la Espriella has pledged to take a harder line against remaining rebel factions by ending peace negotiations that began under President Petro.

Political critics have long argued that rebel groups in Colombia have exploited past ceasefires as opportunities to rebuild their ranks, restock weapons, and tighten their control over rural areas, where they run extortion schemes and intimidate those who interfere with illegal operations.

The Petro government launched formal peace talks with the ELN back in 2023, but those negotiations collapsed in 2025 after the rebels carried out a string of violent attacks in northeastern Colombia that drove more than 56,000 residents from their homes.

Despite that breakdown, the Petro administration is still engaged in talks with other armed factions — including the Gulf Clan — groups known for controlling drug trafficking corridors and profiting from illegal mining operations.

Last week, the De la Espriella campaign called on Colombian prosecutors to look into whether rebel groups pressured voters in 109 isolated municipalities to cast ballots for Cepeda. The ruling party candidate pulled in over 70% of the vote in those areas during the first round of voting on May 31. Cepeda has flatly denied any connection between his campaign and rebel groups.

In that first-round contest, which featured 14 candidates, Cepeda received 40.9% of the total vote while De la Espriella led with 43.7%.

Colombia’s Defense Ministry estimates that the ELN maintains a force of more than 6,000 fighters operating across Colombia and Venezuela, where the group profits from illegal gold mining and the drug trade.

The ELN was established in the 1960s by union organizers and intellectuals motivated by social justice causes and inspired by the Cuban revolution. Over the decades, however, the group has become associated with criminal enterprises in the territories it controls, including extortion rings and attacks on oil infrastructure. President Petro himself has described the group’s leadership as “drug traffickers disguised as guerrilla fighters.”

A tentative agreement between the United States and Iran aimed at ending their conflict and reopening the Strait of Hormuz caused oil prices to fall sharply, as markets anticipated a return of energy supplies. However, industry insiders warn that getting back to pre-war production and refining levels could take anywhere from weeks to years.

Here is a breakdown of what the deal means for global energy.

What Changes Right Away?

U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the Strait of Hormuz — a critical shipping corridor for the world’s oil and gas — would reopen on Friday. Iran had effectively shut down the waterway for months. Trump also said he had ordered an end to a U.S. blockade of Iranian ports.

Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, stated that a broader agreement addressing the wider conflict would be worked out during a 60-day ceasefire, which would also include sanctions relief for Iran.

How Quickly Can Oil Production Restart?

Several major Middle East oil producers — including Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — were forced to cut millions of barrels per day of crude output because of the Strait’s closure.

The International Energy Agency’s latest report indicates that more than 14 million barrels per day of oil production is currently offline, which represents about 14% of total global demand.

According to an official familiar with the situation, some production — such as in Iraq — could resume within less than a week once a restart decision is made. Other operations will require considerably more time.

Analysts at Wood Mackenzie offered this assessment: “Assuming operators choose a measured and controlled ramp-up, our analysis suggests the fields affected by the Strait’s closure could get back to 70% of prior production within three months and to 90% within six months. The last 1 million bpd or so will take considerably longer.”

Why Are Refineries a Problem?

The conflict shut down as much as 3.52 million barrels per day of refining capacity as of May 7, according to industry monitor IIR — roughly 3.5% of the world’s total refining capacity, with some facilities sustaining damage.

Refineries that were closed as a precautionary measure could be back online within a couple of weeks, analysts say. Repairing damaged facilities, however, will take longer.

Bader Nooruddin, head of research at Vitol Bahrain, said earlier this month that Gulf refineries could recover to between 90% and 95% of capacity within 40 to 60 days.

Energy research firm Rystad Energy estimates that total repair costs across the Middle East will average around $46 billion, with refining and petrochemical facilities accounting for the largest portion due to the complexity and extent of the damage.

What About Natural Gas and LNG?

Early in the conflict, major liquefied natural gas operations — including those in Qatar — either halted or significantly reduced output following attacks on their facilities.

Once a decision to restart is made, it will take approximately two weeks to convert gas into its super-chilled liquid form and reach full operating capacity.

The liquefaction process — which involves cooling natural gas to around minus 162 degrees Celsius (minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit) — requires a deliberately slow cooldown to prevent thermal shock. The processing lines, known as LNG trains, cannot all be restarted at the same time and must be brought back online in sequence.

Qatar Energy kept three of its processing trains running throughout the war to supply Kuwait and Bahrain. However, a full return to capacity will take years. QatarEnergy’s CEO has said that Iranian attacks destroyed 17% of Qatar’s LNG capacity for as long as five years.

Oil Stockpiles Will Take Years to Rebuild

The global supply disruption has drained the world’s oil reserves significantly, and restoring them to normal levels will be a lengthy process — potentially taking years.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, stockpiles in the world’s largest economies are on track to hit their lowest levels since at least 2003, depleted at a record pace due to the loss of Gulf production.

Paul Gooden, head of natural resources at investment manager Ninety One, put it plainly: “It will take several months to fully normalise flows, and we estimate that global oil inventories have shrunk by more than 1 billion barrels since the start of the conflict.” At current prices, one billion barrels would be valued at more than $83 billion.

Gooden added: “Oil markets will therefore likely suffer a ‘hangover’ for several years as governments seek to rebuild inventories and to insulate themselves from further geopolitical shocks.”

RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian authorities were on the scene Monday examining the wreckage from a deadly midair collision between two helicopters that claimed six lives the day before, near a suburb of Rio de Janeiro.

American singer Oliver Tree appeared on the passenger list submitted to aviation authorities for one of the helicopters, which came down in the parking lot of a car dealership. However, police had not yet confirmed that his body was recovered from the crash site.

Law enforcement confirmed the identities of five victims: Gaspar Prim Díaz, an Argentine content creator who went by the name Gaspi and had amassed more than 2.8 million subscribers on YouTube; fellow Argentine Lucas Vignale; and three Brazilian nationals — Lucas Brito, Charles Marsillac, and Alexandre Souza. The identity of one additional foreign victim had not yet been established.

A Rio de Janeiro police investigator, Alan Luxardo, told reporters at the crash site Monday that human error may have played a role in the collision. He said authorities were working to determine whether a pilot or an air traffic controller bore responsibility for the disaster.

Tree, who is 32 years old, had been traveling through South America and Europe as part of a world tour with scheduled stops in Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, and Spain. The day before the crash, on Saturday, the singer and comedian had posted a lighthearted video of himself playing soccer in a Brazilian neighborhood.

Fellow public figures began paying tribute to Tree on social media Sunday. Among them was Jake Paul, a promoter known for high-profile boxing matches against professional fighters, who described Tree as “one of the most kind and funny people in the world.”

Drew Binsky, a content creator recognized for having visited every country on earth, shared on Instagram that Tree had reached out to him for travel tips, since the singer shared a similar goal of visiting every nation.

“We just spoke a few days ago and I was planning to show him around Prague in three weeks,” Binsky wrote. “He has become a great friend of mine and is genuinely one of the kindest and most positive people I’ve ever met.”

Argentine streaming channel Blender also expressed grief over the loss of Gaspi in a post on X, writing: “Every one of us will miss you.”

The United Kingdom’s Court of Appeal has determined that the British government acted within the law when it labeled Palestine Action a terrorist organization, overturning a February ruling by the High Court that had declared the ban unlawful.

The High Court had previously found the designation to be “disproportionate,” but the appeals court reached the opposite conclusion. Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr, joined by fellow appeal judges, determined that Palestine Action openly encouraged violence that meets the legal threshold for terrorism and that the group functioned through hidden, cell-like networks rather than open acts of civil disobedience.

The British government originally designated Palestine Action under the Terrorism Act 2000 in July 2025, citing a pattern of direct-action demonstrations and property destruction at sites connected to the defense industry.

Anne Herzberg, who serves as Legal Advisor of NGO Monitor, expressed support for the court’s decision. “The Court of Appeals made the right decision to uphold the government’s proscription of Palestine Action as a terrorist organization. Since October 7, the group has gotten more and more extreme, vandalizing insurance companies, the BBC, and defense company offices,” she said.

Herzberg also described how the group broke into the offices of Israeli military technology company Elbit Systems, causing more than a million pounds worth of damage and fracturing the spine of a police officer. Four individuals involved in that incident were handed prison sentences last week.

Herzberg further noted that approximately a year ago, the group broke into a UK air force base and damaged aircraft at a sensitive moment for Western defense. “The group has long had shadowy organizing structure and financing. Their actions go far beyond any definition of peaceful protest. It is no surprise that those defending the group and decrying the court decision are also some of the loudest voices promoting antisemitic rhetoric and apologizing for the terrorism of Hamas and Hezbollah,” she added.

With the Court of Appeal’s decision now in place, the government’s position that Palestine Action’s conduct warrants designation under the Terrorism Act 2000 has been fully restored.

Gulf and Arab nations are rallying behind a newly reached agreement between the United States and Iran to cease military operations and enter into detailed talks aimed at a permanent settlement — with leaders across the region expressing optimism about what the deal could mean for stability and security.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Ministry announced Monday that the kingdom supports the agreement and offered praise for the mediation work carried out by Pakistan and Qatar, as well as the willingness of both Washington and Tehran to reach a deal.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan also spoke by phone Monday with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi. During that conversation, Prince Faisal expressed his support for the agreement and said Saudi Arabia hopes it will bolster both regional and international security while keeping momentum behind efforts to achieve lasting peace.

The United Arab Emirates called on all parties to fully carry out the preliminary agreement, specifically urging an immediate halt to hostilities and firm guarantees ensuring freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE’s Foreign Ministry also noted that the country suffered considerable damage from strikes during the conflict.

Kuwait similarly embraced the provisions calling for a permanent end to military activity and the protection of maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The Kuwaiti government commended the mediation efforts of Pakistan, Qatar, and other nations involved, and expressed hope that unresolved disputes could be addressed through what it described as principles of “good neighbourliness, mutual respect, non-interference in the internal affairs of states and an end to support for proxies.”

Qatar said the agreement has the potential to bring military operations to a permanent close and reaffirmed its commitment to diplomacy and dialogue, while also recognizing Pakistan’s contributions to moving the process forward.

Egypt characterized the deal as a meaningful step toward regional and international stability, saying it hopes the arrangement will help build trust and encourage further diplomatic engagement. Cairo also expressed a desire for international focus to shift back toward Gaza and the West Bank, and for renewed progress on the next phase of President Donald Trump’s peace initiative.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, President Joseph Aoun, as well as Iraq, Turkey, the Gulf Cooperation Council secretary-general, and Jordan all joined in welcoming the agreement, each describing it as a positive development for regional security, stability, and future diplomatic efforts.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told President Donald Trump that Israel refuses to withdraw its forces from Lebanon and does not consider itself bound by any Lebanon-related terms in a developing agreement with Iran, according to Israeli sources.

Netanyahu communicated to Trump that Israeli military forces would hold their current positions in Lebanon and press forward with operations targeting Hezbollah, including dismantling terrorist infrastructure and responding militarily to any attacks on Israel, the sources said.

The Israeli cabinet gave Netanyahu unanimous support for this approach during a cabinet meeting, with ministers aligned behind the view that Israel must continue pursuing its security interests in Lebanon, according to those same sources.

Defense Minister Israel Katz echoed the position firmly, stating: “Prime Minister Netanyahu and I are leading a clear policy that establishes that the IDF will remain in the security zones in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza — indefinitely to protect the border and Israeli communities from jihadist elements.”

Katz also declared, “We oppose the IDF’s withdrawal from Lebanon, despite all the existing pressures and those that will come.”

Katz confirmed that the message had been delivered directly to Washington. He said Netanyahu raised the matter with Trump and other American officials, while Katz himself brought it up in a separate conversation with U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth.

Israel’s stance stands in sharp contrast to statements from other parties. Pakistan Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif said the involved parties had “declared the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.” Iran’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Kazam Gharibabadi similarly called for a “permanent and immediate end to the war on all fronts, including Lebanon.”

Adding to the tension, Trump publicly condemned Israeli airstrikes carried out Sunday against Hezbollah targets in the Dahieh area near Beirut. The strikes came after Iran threatened to walk away from the ceasefire and retaliate.

According to a report by Axios, Trump told Netanyahu he had “no f—ing judgment” over the timing of the strikes.

In a separate interview with Fox News, Trump said: “A deal will be signed within two or three hours. I told Netanyahu — what the hell are you doing?”

Trump also took to his Truth Social platform, writing that the strike “should not have happened, particularly on a special day when we are so close to a Peace Deal with Iran.”

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — A judge has ordered the sibling owners of a Santo Domingo nightclub to stand trial following a deadly roof collapse that claimed 236 lives and left more than 100 others injured last year.

Magistrate Reymundo Mejía Zorrilla of the First Court of Instruction of the National District in Santo Domingo issued the ruling Monday, determining that Antonio and Maribel Espaillat, owners of the Jet Set nightclub, will face charges of involuntary manslaughter. If convicted, each could receive up to two years behind bars.

The catastrophic collapse occurred on April 8, 2025, sending shockwaves throughout the Dominican Republic as rescue workers spent days desperately trying to pull survivors from the debris.

The decision drew sharp disappointment from families of the victims, who had gathered outside the courthouse beforehand — roughly 30 relatives holding hands and praying together. Many had been pushing for homicide charges, which carry far heavier penalties of up to 20 years in prison.

Prosecutors had previously accused the Espaillat siblings of attempting to intimidate or manipulate employees. Antonio Espaillat is described as a prominent business figure with ownership of upscale entertainment venues and dozens of local radio stations. The Public Prosecutor’s Office has said it holds hundreds of pieces of evidence connecting the two to the collapse.

At the time of the disaster, the venue was packed with hundreds of attendees — including athletes and politicians — who had come to see a performance by singer Rubby Pérez, who was among those killed. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Octavio Dotel was also at the event; he was pulled from the wreckage alive but later died at a hospital.

The Espaillat siblings will be tried together, though no trial date has been announced.

World leaders have descended on a French spa town for a high-stakes Group of Seven summit, arriving with fresh momentum after President Donald Trump announced an agreement he says will bring an end to the U.S. war against Iran.

Trump touched down in Evian-les-Bains, France, on Monday to begin talks with fellow G7 leaders — some of whom have been openly critical of how he handled the roughly 15-week conflict, which has sent global energy prices surging.

Tensions have been running high between Trump and the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy over his decision to go to war without consulting them. Trump has threatened to pull back U.S. troops stationed in all four countries — all NATO members — as a consequence of their lack of support.

The G7 consists of France, the United States, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Several guest nations are also participating in this summit, including Brazil, Egypt, India, Kenya, South Korea, Qatar, Syria, Ukraine, and the United Arab Emirates.

Macron Tells Trump French Forces Are Ready to Move Into Strait of Hormuz

During a face-to-face meeting with Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron said France could send fighter jets as early as Tuesday to conduct observation flights over the strategically critical waterway. He noted that France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, already positioned in the Middle East, could also be deployed rapidly.

The offer is part of a broader push by France and other G7 allies to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as quickly as possible to restore the free flow of energy to world markets, following the tentative U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement.

“Within 48 hours, frigates could also be deployed. And within two to three days, the aircraft carrier,” Macron said.

Trump responded by saying, “I don’t think we’re gonna need much help” because the strait is “going to be open.” He added, “But I don’t think it’s a bad idea to have a ship or two up here from a few countries. You’d be a great country to do it,” directing the comment at Macron.

Trump’s Schedule Includes Leader Greetings and Working Dinner

Following his one-on-one meeting with Macron, Trump was set to take part in a formal welcome with the other G7 leaders before heading to a working dinner at 7:30 p.m. local time — the final item on his public agenda for Monday.

Trump Uncertain Whether He’ll Attend Iran Deal Signing

When asked whether he would be present at Friday’s formal signing ceremony for the Iran agreement, Trump said he wasn’t sure. “Well, it depends,” he said during a joint appearance with Macron. “I may be involved. I may not.”

Trump mentioned that Vice President JD Vance had originally been slated to attend: “JD was coming in for that.”

While expressing optimism about the deal, Trump tempered expectations. “Hopefully we get along,” he said. “If we don’t, we go back to where we started.”

Trump Touts Iran Deal, Points to Oil Prices and Stock Market

Speaking alongside Macron at the G7, Trump spoke enthusiastically about the agreement reached with Iran. “I think a lot of great things are going to happen in the Middle East right now, and very importantly the oil is plummeting down and the stock market is shooting up like a rocket today,” he said.

Trump also said he “felt badly that we had to go back on the attack for two nights” and expressed hope for a constructive relationship going forward. He arrived at the summit fresh off celebrating his 80th birthday at a UFC event held at the White House on Sunday.

Anti-G7 Protesters Accuse Police of Provocation

Organizers of Sunday’s “No G7” demonstration are demanding an apology from Geneva security and judicial officials after police deployed tear gas and water cannons against stone-throwing protesters.

Organizers said police surrounded roughly 300 people overnight — including minors, tourists, and bystanders. In a statement Monday, they declared the protest a success: “The No G7 demonstration of June 14 surpassed all our expectations,” adding that “30,000 took part despite the climate of anxiety created by the Geneva State Council (and sometimes by the media).”

Law enforcement put the crowd at 20,000, including approximately 600 so-called “black bloc” militants.

Geneva Police Detail Their Response to Protests

Geneva police brought more than two dozen individuals to police stations and made three arrests related to violence during Sunday’s anti-G7 march. Geneva police chief Monica Bonfanti said officers checked the identities of nearly 550 people and used tear gas and water cannons in response to stone-throwing youth.

Three people were arrested — two for firing pyrotechnic devices and one for damaging a police vehicle — and were later released, Bonfanti said. She noted that “black bloc” tactics made identity checks difficult, as some militants blended in with peaceful protesters and changed their clothing mid-demonstration.

U.S. Military: Iran Blockade Remains in Place

The U.S. military issued an advisory to merchant vessels Monday stating that the blockade of shipping to Iranian ports will remain active “pending execution” of the ceasefire deal set for Friday. “Do not attempt to cross until explicit direction is given,” the notice read.

Ship captains were urged to consider the safety of their crews and avoid sailing to or from Iranian ports until further guidance is issued. The advisory also warned that failure to comply with instructions from those enforcing the blockade “may result in rapid escalation to disabling or destructive fire.”

Ambassador Charles Kushner on Hand to Welcome Trump

Ambassador Charles Kushner, Trump’s top envoy to France and the father of Trump’s son-in-law, was present to greet the president when Marine One touched down in Evian-les-Bains. Kushner, a real estate developer, holds the prestigious diplomatic post. His son, Jared Kushner, is serving as an envoy in the Iran negotiations and is also involved in efforts to bring an end to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Vance: Iran Deal Already Signed Digitally

Vice President JD Vance revealed that an interim agreement to end the conflict in Iran was electronically signed on Sunday, ahead of a formal ceremony scheduled for Friday in Geneva. “We already signed the deal digitally yesterday, and there’s been no money released, and that won’t change,” Vance said on “Good Morning America.” “Again, this is a performance-based thing.”

Some critics and Iranian media reports have suggested that Iranian assets would be released upon signing, but Vance pushed back. “We’ll be releasing the text this week, and what everybody will see is that Iran doesn’t get a dime of money unless they perform their obligations,” he said.

Vance Outlines Expectations for the Deal

In a Monday appearance on CNBC, Vance said the White House hopes to release the full text of the agreement this week. “I think when people see this deal — we hope to release the text this week — they’re going to realize that this is going to make the whole region safer,” he said.

Vance said the expectation is that the Strait of Hormuz will be “opened in a toll free way for the long term,” though he acknowledged that many details still need to be worked out during a 60-day technical talks period — including how Iran’s stockpile of highly enriched uranium will be handled. He also signaled a willingness to ease economic sanctions on Iran, but said doing so would “require a long-term commitment” to nuclear inspections and verification.

Macron Pushes for Continued U.S. Support of Ukraine

The French president said he plans to press Trump to maintain support for Ukraine and step up pressure on Russia to bring about a peace agreement. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to join the summit Tuesday for discussions.

In an interview with French broadcaster TF1, Macron said he wants the United States to declare: “We are with you, we will continue to support Ukraine, and we will increase the pressure on Russia to achieve a meaningful negotiation.” He added, “The right negotiation is one in which Ukraine and Russia are at the table, but with Europeans and Americans present as well.”

Macron Stands Firm Against Trump Tariff Threats

Macron said he will not yield to Trump’s threat to impose 100% tariffs on French wines unless France eliminates its digital tax on American technology companies. Speaking on TF1, Macron said the tax was a European decision and that it is not “for the United States to decide what European or French law should be.” He said his position will not change “as long as I am here.”

Wines and spirits from the European Union currently face a 15% tariff when exported to the U.S. Macron said he intends to handle the dispute in a “respectful but firm” manner during the summit, emphasizing the importance of coordination among major democracies.

G7 European Leaders Call Iran Deal a ‘Diplomatic Breakthrough’

Ahead of their summit meeting, the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom — along with Canada — issued a joint statement praising the U.S.-Iran agreement as a “diplomatic breakthrough.” The leaders called for swift implementation of the deal so that the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened to tanker traffic, and said they are prepared to contribute, including through possible mine-clearing operations.

Japan to Join G7 European Statement on Iran Deal

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi confirmed that Japan will join a joint statement from the G7’s European members calling for swift reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and an end to Iran’s nuclear program. Takaichi said Japan was asked to participate and agreed, though she did not specify what contribution Japan might make. She said she plans to use the summit to discuss ways to achieve broader peace and stability in the Middle East.

Nearly 13,800 Security Personnel Deployed for Summit

Macron stopped by a security operations center Monday morning to thank officers for their work protecting the summit. He described the three-day gathering as “a big source of pride for France, a big responsibility” and said nearly 13,800 officers — including police, gendarmes, firefighters, and health workers — have been deployed for the event. “Only your collective mobilization makes this possible,” he told them.

Trump Announces July 4 Rally in Washington

Even while traveling to France, Trump shared plans for a major celebration marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. “On July 4th, at The Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument, in beautiful and safe Washington D.C., we are going to host the most spectacular TRUMP RALLY of them all, a ‘TRIBUTE TO AMERICA,’” Trump posted on social media from Air Force One.

Trump said the event will feature military flyovers, a personally selected music playlist, and “the LARGEST FIREWORKS SHOW IN HISTORY.” He had previously announced plans to headline “The Great American State Fair” on June 24 as part of the America 250 celebration.

Brazil’s Lula First Leader to Arrive at Summit Hotel

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the first foreign leader to arrive Monday at the Hotel Royal in Evian-les-Bains, a five-star property overlooking Lake Geneva and the foothills of the Alps. Brazil is among the guest nations — along with Egypt, Kenya, India, and South Korea — invited to participate in select discussions alongside the G7 members.

Brazil and WHO Chief Call for Stronger Pandemic Protections

Brazilian President Lula and the head of the United Nations health agency are jointly urging world leaders to strengthen an accord adopted last year aimed at preventing future pandemics like COVID-19. In a joint statement, they wrote: “Humanity promised itself, in the rawness of that grief, that it would not face such a day again unprepared.” They called on G7 leaders and other world leaders to “instruct your negotiators to come to the July session ready to conclude” a key annex to the agreement, which has stalled over disputes about sharing disease-causing pathogens and access to vaccines.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — For pet owners living through the ongoing conflict in Gaza, caring for their animals has become an overwhelming challenge, with veterinary supplies running dangerously low and food for pets nearly impossible to come by.

Across a territory home to more than 2 million people, only two veterinary clinics serving household pets are still functioning. A small number of other facilities focus mainly on livestock. At one modest clinic in Gaza City, staff have continued this month to offer basic medical care and grooming for cats and dogs, and have even treated other animals, including a rooster.

While COGAT — the Israeli military body responsible for coordinating civilian affairs in Palestinian territories — has stated that it approves the entry of animal vaccines into Gaza, local veterinarians say that many essential medicines and vaccines used to prevent and treat illness simply cannot be found. The shortages have proven fatal for many animals. Veterinarian Dr. Motasem Qadoura said numerous pets have died as a result.

One visitor, Saja al-Hattab, came to the clinic with her cat, Lulu, for a routine checkup. She described the desperate measures she took during the worst periods of hunger over the past two years, sometimes feeding Lulu nothing more than bread soaked in water because nothing else was available.

“Like us, cats also were being starved,” she said.

Dr. Qadoura echoed her account. “We experienced famine in Gaza and during that period, unfortunately, pet owners had to search for alternatives to feed their pets, and some of these alternatives weren’t suitable,” he said. “We saw cases of food poisoning caused by food like onions.”

Another pet owner, Heba Hathat, shared that her cat has not been vaccinated and that she has been unable to locate affordable cat litter or pet food.

This report is based on a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

JERUSALEM — The announcement of an interim peace agreement between the United States and Iran set off a wave of fury across Israel on Monday, with politicians, former leaders, and commentators from all sides of the political aisle calling it a disaster — and pointing the finger at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

By early Monday evening, Netanyahu had not yet issued any public statement. However, government officials, political rivals, and media figures wasted no time condemning the deal, in what amounted to an informal public judgment on the prime minister’s leadership ahead of elections this fall.

The backlash has also put a spotlight on what critics describe as Netanyahu’s growing isolation — within his own country, across the region, and increasingly with the United States.

Those critical of the prime minister argue he drew President Donald Trump into the conflict with Iran while making promises about what the war could accomplish that proved unrealistic. Now, they say, Trump is pulling Israel out of the fight before it has achieved its objectives. Critics contend Netanyahu underestimated Trump’s willingness to sustain a lengthy war, was outmaneuvered by Iran at the negotiating table, and found himself increasingly pushed to the margins by other major players in the region.

Former Prime Minister and Netanyahu rival Ehud Barak was blunt in an interview with Israel’s public broadcaster on Monday. “Israel is paying the price of Netanyahu’s hubris and blindness, and the price of the manipulations that he tried to pull on Trump,” Barak said. “Iran emerged stronger; Israel emerged weaker. That is Netanyahu’s strategic responsibility. He failed.”

Yair Lapid, who is set to challenge Netanyahu in the coming elections, wrote Sunday that the deal was shaping up to be “one of the most shocking failures in Israel’s foreign and security policy … entirely registered in Netanyahu’s name.” He added: “It can be fixed, it must be fixed. Netanyahu can no longer fix it, we will do it.”

The U.S.-Iran agreement has left Israel in a difficult spot, partly because it sent troops into southern Lebanon after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched missiles at communities in northern Israel during the opening week of the war. Throughout the negotiation process, Iran insisted that any agreement to wind down hostilities on the U.S.-Iran front must also include a halt to Israeli military operations in Lebanon.

As talks moved forward and Trump sought an exit from the conflict, he became increasingly frustrated with Israeli strikes on Beirut, warning they could threaten the emerging agreement. Ultimately, the president chose to end the war with Iran even if it limited Israel’s freedom of action in Lebanon.

That decision has put Netanyahu in a precarious spot. His relationship with Trump may force him to scale back a military campaign in Lebanon that has been broadly popular among Israelis. On Monday, Defense Minister Israel Katz publicly pledged to keep Israeli troops in Lebanon.

Daniel Shapiro, a former U.S. Ambassador to Israel and a Distinguished Fellow at the Atlantic Council, warned that the situation could quickly spiral. “All Hezbollah has to do is get one rocket across into an Israeli town in northern Israel, and then the pressure on Netanyahu — which he’s already hearing from his own base and from the opposition … will ramp up,” Shapiro said. “It’s gonna be very hard to resist that. And that gives a lot of power to control this dynamic to Hezbollah, and essentially to Iran.”

Some of the more hawkish members of Netanyahu’s governing coalition have already condemned the peace deal and are pushing the prime minister to press ahead with the Lebanon campaign — even at the risk of angering the United States and potentially unraveling the broader agreement. Israel’s ultranationalist national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, posted on X: “We must not compromise on anything less than the dismantling of Hezbollah.”

While the deal left the fate of Israel’s Lebanon operation uncertain, it also constrained Netanyahu before he could reach his stated war goals against Iran. Netanyahu and the U.S. launched the war on February 28 with the stated objective of eliminating Iran’s nuclear ambitions. But nearly four months later, after Iran withstood an intense aerial assault, analysts and critics say Tehran has actually emerged in a stronger position. Its network of proxy forces remains intact and is still capable of firing missiles into Israel.

Iran has also managed to assert control over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategically vital waterways, disrupting global trade and driving up the cost of basic goods worldwide. Meanwhile, the extent of damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and ballistic missile program remains unclear.

Political commentator Anna Barsky wrote in Ma’ariv, a major Hebrew-language daily newspaper, that “Israel believes that the war delayed the Iranian nuclear program, but did not change its objectives.” She noted that Israeli officials are also concerned that under the terms of its deal with the U.S., Iran could receive a significant infusion of cash.

Three regional officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the negotiations, said the agreement is expected to include a phased easing of sanctions and the release of frozen Iranian assets.

Yair Golan, a center-left party leader and former general, posted on X: “Trump signs an agreement that funnels billions to the Ayatollahs’ regime, leaves the nuclear infrastructure intact, preserves the ballistic threat as is, and throws a lifeline to the murderous regime in Tehran.”

NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenyan President William Ruto announced Monday that his government will compensate nearly 2,000 people who suffered human rights abuses tied to violent protests, in what officials are calling an unusual national reparations effort conducted outside the court system.

Over the years, waves of violent unrest across the East African country have resulted in hundreds of deaths, injuries, and significant financial losses for business owners. Most recently, two separate demonstrations over a proposed Ebola quarantine facility intended for Americans ended with three people killed and dozens more hurt.

Victims are expected to start receiving payments as soon as next week, once they have been reviewed and approved by the country’s state-funded human rights commission. The total amount set aside for compensation is approximately $15 million.

Speaking at the release of a national Reparations Framework Report, Ruto described the payments as “a state acknowledgment that harm occurred,” while making clear it was not an “admission” of guilt on the part of the government.

Dozens of people lost their lives and hundreds more were wounded during anti-government demonstrations that took place in June 2024 and June 2025, both centered on opposition to higher taxes. The government has said those protests were taken advantage of by criminal elements, who caused millions of dollars in property damage.

Ruto was careful to frame the compensation in measured terms, saying it was not the “price of life, of pain or of loss” and should not be interpreted as a “reward for violence or criminality” — a concern in a country where large-scale protests occur regularly.

“A nation heals by tending to its wounds rather than pretending they does not exist,” he said.

Claris Ogangah, who leads Kenya’s National Commission on Human Rights, said the financial payments are a meaningful step toward national recovery.

“The stories captured in the Reparations Framework Report remind us that behind every statistic is a human being — a family and a community whose suffering has often remained unseen and unacknowledged,” she said.

“By giving voice to these experiences, the report contributes to a national process of healing founded on truth, recognition, and remembrance,” Ogangah added.

LONDON — A first-edition copy of Emily Brontë’s “Wuthering Heights” — typos and all — is going under the hammer for the first time in more than a century, drawing renewed attention as a new Hollywood film brings the beloved story to a fresh generation of fans.

Christie’s auction house announced Monday that this is the first copy of the novel still in its publisher’s original cloth binding to be auctioned since 1908. Approximately 250 copies of the first edition were ever produced, and this particular volume has sat in a private library since shortly after it was first published in 1847.

“The vast majority of surviving copies were rebound for collectors or libraries, meaning original cloth examples are now extremely scarce,” said Christie’s books and manuscripts specialist Mark Wiltshire.

The “Wuthering Heights” volume is being sold alongside a copy of Anne Brontë’s “Agnes Grey” and is expected to bring in between 400,000 and 600,000 British pounds — roughly $540,000 to $800,000 — at a June 30 sale in London. Both books were originally published under male pen names the sisters used to break into the publishing world: Emily wrote as Ellis Bell, and Anne as Acton Bell.

“Wuthering Heights” was rushed to press following the runaway success of Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre,” and the hasty production left its mark. The first edition became well known for its printing errors — including, as Wiltshire pointed out, occasional misspellings of the word “heights” itself.

The novel is enjoying a fresh wave of popularity thanks to director Emerald Fennell’s recent film adaptation starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi as the ill-fated pair Cathy and Heathcliff, which takes its own creative liberties with Brontë’s dark, Gothic story.

When the book first appeared, it scandalized some readers. A critic in 1848 condemned it for its “vulgar depravity and unnatural horrors.”

In the nearly two centuries since, Wiltshire said, the novel has “moved beyond literature to become a cultural touchstone,” influencing visual art, music — most notably Kate Bush’s 1978 pop-operatic song — and numerous film versions over the decades.

“It remains a work that artists return to again and again because of its emotional force, its atmosphere, and its psychological intensity, ensuring its place not only in literary history but in wider cultural imagination,” Wiltshire said.

FRANKFURT, Germany — A tentative agreement to end the war in Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz is being welcomed as a positive development for the world economy. However, despite oil prices dipping on Monday, significant uncertainty remains about when energy shipments will actually resume through the world’s most critical waterway for oil transport.

Before the conflict began, the strait handled roughly one-fifth of the global crude oil supply. Now, hundreds of vessels stuck inside the Persian Gulf face a slow and complicated process of navigating out through the narrow passage. Oil-producing nations in the Gulf that cut back their output will also need time to get production running again. Shipping analysts note that vessel captains may be cautious about declaring the route safe and that the threat from Iran has genuinely passed.

The bottom line: oil prices, inflation, and energy supplies will not snap back to prewar levels overnight — the recovery could take weeks, or even months. That timeline assumes the agreement, scheduled to be formally signed on Friday, actually holds. Specifics of the deal had not yet been made public.

Even if the strait reopens fully, tankers must still enter the Gulf, take on cargo, and complete long voyages to their destinations. Asian nations are the primary buyers of oil from Gulf producers including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Oman. A round trip to Japan alone can take between 45 and 50 days.

Ship captains, insurers, and vessel owners are expected to proceed cautiously given the unpredictable conditions in the region.

Richard Meade, editor-in-chief of shipping data and analysis company Lloyd’s List, wrote that

LIMA — Right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori has stretched her slim lead over leftist challenger Roberto Sanchez in Peru’s hotly disputed presidential contest, as the slow review of contested ballots continued Monday.

Fujimori reclaimed the top spot in the race midway through last week, largely on the strength of votes cast abroad. As of Monday, she held 50.051% of the vote compared to Sanchez’s 49.949% — a margin of just over 18,300 votes.

According to Peru’s National Office of Electoral Processes, 98.59% of all votes have now been counted.

Election officials began examining disputed ballots from the June 7 runoff last Thursday. Authorities say the final certified results may not come for days or even weeks, making this one of the tightest presidential races in Peru’s history.

Over the weekend, Sanchez traveled to the Andean region of Cusco — a stronghold of his support — where he met with backers and expressed that he had “suspicions” about the ongoing vote review.

Last week, Sanchez asked authorities to throw out roughly 400,000 overseas ballots, claiming there were irregularities in how they were transported. Election officials rejected that request.

Supporters of Sanchez have taken to the streets in the capital Lima in recent days, responding to his call to “defend the people’s vote.” The protests, which drew hundreds of demonstrators, remained peaceful.

Following the runoff, both the Organization of American States and the European Union sent election observation missions to Peru. In separate press conferences, both groups said the voting had proceeded normally and encouraged the country to wait for the official results given how close the race is.

Sanchez is running with the backing of former leftist President Pedro Castillo, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison after attempting to dissolve Congress and seize expanded powers in late 2022. Sanchez’s rise has made private investors uneasy.

Financial markets bounced back last week as Fujimori moved ahead in the count. Prior to the election, markets had sold off amid concerns that a Sanchez victory could threaten economic stability, according to traders in stock and foreign exchange markets.

A Nigerian federal court issued a ruling Monday directing the country’s electoral authority to remove one of the nation’s prominent opposition parties — along with four other political organizations — from its official register, citing failures to meet constitutional standards.

Federal High Court Judge Peter Lifu ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to strike the African Democratic Congress and the four other parties from its rolls. The decision came in response to complaints brought by former lawmakers who argued the parties had not reached the minimum performance benchmarks required under Nigerian law.

Under Nigerian law, a political party must either win at least one elected position at any level of government or receive no less than 25% of votes cast in a state during a presidential election. Parties that fall short of these thresholds face the possibility of being removed from the electoral register.

The court’s decision creates a significant obstacle for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who had been running as the ADC’s presidential candidate and was considered one of the strongest challengers to President Bola Tinubu. The ruling could significantly reduce the number of opposition candidates competing in the race ahead of next January’s elections.

ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi sharply criticized the decision, describing it as “a direct invitation to anarchy.” He confirmed the party intends to challenge the ruling through all available legal and constitutional channels.

THE HAGUE — An international arbitration court has determined that Russia violated certain maritime laws during the construction of its bridge spanning the Kerch Strait between mainland Russia and annexed Crimea, but rejected the majority of Ukraine’s broader legal claims against Moscow.

The case was brought before the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration in 2016, after Russia began building the 19-kilometer (12-mile) bridge connecting the Russian mainland to the Crimean Peninsula.

Although the ruling was dated April 22, it was only made public on Monday in accordance with the arbitration court’s standard procedures. The five-judge panel dismissed most of Ukraine’s arguments — which centered on Russia allegedly seeking exclusive control over the strait — on procedural grounds.

Where the court did find fault with Russia, it was over the country’s failure to conduct proper environmental impact assessments before and during the bridge’s construction.

Despite finding those violations, the panel chose not to award any financial reparations to Ukraine. Both sides were directed to cover their own legal expenses accumulated over the course of the ten-year proceeding.

This case is among a number of legal actions Ukraine has pursued at various international courts and institutions, stemming from Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its full-scale military invasion that began in 2022.

The Kerch Strait bridge holds significant strategic importance, serving as a key supply route for fuel, food, and other goods flowing into Crimea. The peninsula is also home to Sevastopol, the historic base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

Syria’s Interior Ministry announced Monday that one of its security officers was killed after forces successfully stopped an assault by two Islamic State militants targeting a command headquarters of the country’s internal security forces in the city of Raqqa.

A ministry statement described how two suicide bombers attempted to force their way into the facility. Security personnel confronted the attackers, neutralizing one of them. The second bomber, after being surrounded, detonated an explosive vest. Three additional security officers sustained injuries in the incident.

Earlier reports from Syria’s state news agency, citing an Interior Ministry spokesperson, indicated that preliminary information suggested at least two ministry personnel had been killed in a suicide attack on a ministry camp in Raqqa — a figure that differed from the later official count.

Islamic State announced in February that it was launching a new campaign of attacks against the government of President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Since then, the group has carried out a series of strikes, including one near Raqqa that killed four Syrian security personnel.

Syria’s government under al-Sharaa joined the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State last year. Al-Sharaa himself previously fought against ISIS when he led the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front during Syria’s civil war, later cutting ties with al Qaeda in 2016.

At the height of its power roughly a decade ago during the Syrian civil war, Islamic State held control over approximately a quarter or more of Syrian territory before being pushed out by the U.S.-led coalition and other opposing forces.

Sweden’s parliament voted Monday to enact a law requiring government workers to notify police whenever they encounter migrants who do not have legal authorization to reside in the country. Opponents of the measure say it will foster fear among vulnerable populations and could take a serious toll on migrants’ physical and mental health.

The legislation is part of a broader push by Sweden to adopt a stricter stance on migration, coming at a time when the European Union is also restructuring its immigration policies — including measures aimed at speeding up deportations.

Jacob Lind, a migration expert from Malmo University, spoke with the AP following the parliamentary vote. “This is the latest measure in a long list of extremely problematic regulations on migration,” he said. “It has a symbolic meaning because it amounts to snitching by some very important state agencies.”

John Stauffer of Swedish nonprofit Civil Rights Defenders noted to the AP that the bill barely cleared the legislature, passing by just two votes — 174 in favor and 172 against. He said that razor-thin margin reflects the significant opposition that exists within Swedish society over the law.

After criticism from various groups, teachers, physicians, and social workers were carved out from the reporting requirement.

Under the new law, employees at agencies such as tax authorities, employment offices, social insurance agencies, and prison and probation services will be legally required to inform police when they have reason to believe someone they are dealing with lacks the proper documentation to remain in Sweden.

Louise Bonneau, representing Brussels-based nonprofit PICUM — an organization that advocates for migrants — told the AP that such requirements carry wide-ranging consequences. “Reporting obligations imposed on public agencies create a climate of fear that harms not only undocumented people but everyone who depends on these institutions,” she said.

The Swedish government has maintained that additional tools are necessary to ensure that individuals without legal permission to stay in the country can be sent back to their home nations.

A group of researchers from three Swedish universities cautioned in March that the law conflicts with fundamental human rights and encourages racial profiling — a practice in which authorities target individuals based on race or ethnicity rather than actual evidence of wrongdoing.

Those researchers spoke with public servants about the ethical dilemmas the law would introduce into their daily work.

As one example highlighted by the researchers: if a mother without legal residency status gives birth, the midwife is not obligated to report her — but information about the newborn will eventually reach the tax authority, which is then required to report the family to authorities.

“It creates a huge deterrence effect to be in contact with a healthcare professional,” Bonneau said. “We’ll see what happens in practice. Will we see people fearing to be in contact with authorities, issues of maternal health, of the children being born?”

Germany enacted similar legislation back in 2005, requiring certain public agencies to report migrants without valid residency status. That law applies to institutions such as welfare offices, while schools and hospitals remain exempt. Even so, migrants in Germany are known to avoid seeking medical care because doing so requires obtaining paperwork from a welfare office first — a step that can expose them to immigration authorities. In response, several organizations in larger cities like Berlin have established healthcare services specifically for migrants without legal residency status.

In 2018, the United Kingdom revised a policy that had allowed immigration officials to access patient records from the National Health Service. Amid concerns that the arrangement was discouraging migrants from seeking care and compromising patient confidentiality, the government scaled back the rules. Under the revised policy, the Home Office was limited to accessing only the names of individuals suspected or convicted of crimes who faced deportation proceedings.

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch court handed down a 26-year prison sentence Monday to a Syrian man found guilty of crimes against humanity, including the torture and rape of people imprisoned for opposing the government of former Syrian president Bashar Assad during the country’s devastating civil war.

The defendant, identified under Dutch privacy laws only as Rafiq al Q., stood trial beginning in April on charges that included torture, sexual abuse, and rape. The 58-year-old maintained his innocence throughout the proceedings, alleging that both the victims and law enforcement had conspired against him.

The verdict from the District Court of The Hague marks the latest in a growing series of legal actions taken against Syrian suspects in courts around the world, following Assad’s removal from power in December 2024 after a swift rebel offensive that ended years of civil war. Assad subsequently fled to Russia, a longtime ally.

These prosecutions have drawn renewed attention to the widespread abuse that took place inside dozens of Syrian detention facilities while Assad held power. Former prisoners, human rights organizations, and activists have described systematic torture, sexual violence, mass executions, and brutal conditions.

Judges determined that Rafiq al Q. was a member of the pro-Assad National Defense Force, a paramilitary organization, and that between 2013 and 2014 he served as an interrogator for the group. Evidence presented in court showed he was responsible for the torture of detainees held at facilities in Salamiyah, including beatings, suspending victims upside down, and administering electric shocks.

In summarizing its ruling, the court stated: “The defendant was also guilty of sexually abusing multiple victims. He raped one of them. The defendant repeatedly subjected the victims to conditions of extreme fear, threats, pain, hopelessness, and powerlessness. During the court hearings, the victims gave compelling testimonies about the impact this had on them and the consequences they continue to suffer to this day.”

Rafiq al Q. sat quietly beside his attorney, wearing a striped shirt with guards positioned nearby, and appeared to offer no reaction as the conviction and sentence were read aloud. He was cleared of some charges where judges found the evidence insufficient to support a guilty verdict.

He arrived in the Netherlands seeking asylum in 2021 and was living in the eastern town of Druten when authorities arrested him in 2023.

The prosecution was made possible through the legal concept of universal jurisdiction, which permits courts to try individuals for serious international offenses — such as war crimes — even when those crimes were committed in a foreign country.

Both prosecutors and the defense have 14 days to file an appeal of the conviction and sentence.

The Netherlands is not the only country pursuing accountability for those tied to the former Assad regime. Last year, a German court sentenced a Syrian doctor to life in prison for torture and war crimes, including the killing of two people and the torture of nine others in Syria between 2011 and 2012. In 2024, a court in Paris sentenced three senior Syrian officials in absentia to life imprisonment for complicity in war crimes.

Syria itself is also working to hold former regime loyalists accountable. In April, the first public trial of former government officials opened in Damascus. Among those who appeared in court was Atef Najib, a former Syrian army brigadier general who led the Political Security Branch in the southern Daraa province under Assad and is also a cousin of the former president. He faces charges related to what state-run news agency SANA described as “crimes against the Syrian people.”