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WASHINGTON — The International Monetary Fund issued a downgraded outlook for the global economy on Wednesday, pointing to the energy shock triggered by the ongoing conflict involving Iran as a major drag on growth. However, a wave of investment in artificial intelligence and other technologies is helping to cushion some of that economic pain.

The IMF now projects the world economy will grow at a modest 3% pace in 2026 — a step back from 3.5% growth recorded last year and below the 3.1% the organization had predicted back in April.

The trouble began when Iran responded to U.S. and Israeli military strikes on February 28 by closing off the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping passage through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s crude oil and natural gas travels. The move sent energy prices sharply higher, putting pressure on both businesses and consumers around the world. The IMF now anticipates oil prices will climb nearly 32% this year, and that global consumer prices will rise 4.7% in 2026 — up from 4.1% in 2025. That would mean two years of hard-won progress against inflation has effectively stalled.

Nations that produce and export their own energy and are benefiting from the AI investment boom are largely shielded from the worst of the war’s economic fallout. The United States is one of those countries. The IMF expects the American economy — still the largest in the world — to grow a healthy 2.3% this year, an improvement over the 2.1% recorded in 2025 and in line with what the IMF had forecast in April. President Donald Trump’s 2025 tax cuts, productivity gains, and a strong stock market are all contributing to the U.S. economy’s resilience.

In contrast, the 21 European nations that share the euro currency are feeling the pinch of higher energy costs. Those countries combined are expected to grow just 0.9% this year, compared to 1.4% in 2025.

China, the second-largest economy in the world, is forecast to expand 4.6% this year — slower than the 5% seen in 2026 but slightly ahead of what the IMF had anticipated in April. While China is being weighed down by elevated energy prices and a collapse in its property market, government infrastructure spending, a rise in high-tech manufacturing, and strong export activity are helping to offset those headwinds.

India is once again on track to be the fastest-growing major economy in the world, with projected growth of 6.4% this year. That figure is down from a remarkable 7.7% last year but is still being driven by robust consumer spending.

The IMF is a 191-member lending institution focused on encouraging economic growth, maintaining financial stability, and reducing poverty worldwide.

LONDON (AP) — Nigel Farage has long claimed the political establishment is working against him. His latest effort to prove that point, however, has not unfolded as he may have hoped.

Facing mounting scrutiny over his personal finances, the anti-immigration Reform UK leader made a dramatic announcement: he is stepping down from his parliamentary seat to force a special election, then immediately declared his intention to run for that same seat again. Critics wasted no time calling it a calculated maneuver to escape a parliamentary ethics investigation. Farage framed the upcoming vote as a battle of “people versus the establishment.”

His political rivals, though, have refused to cooperate with the narrative. Every major political party has announced it will not put forward a candidate to run against Farage, meaning he will face little real opposition at the ballot box.

The strategy carries significant risk. If the parliamentary standards inquiry into his finances continues after he wins — which appears likely — and concludes he broke the rules, a second special election for his seat could be required within months.

Farage only entered Parliament two years ago after seven previous failed attempts to win a seat. Despite that rocky road, he is widely considered one of the most consequential British politicians of the past several decades. His relentless push to remove the United Kingdom from the European Union helped transform Brexit from a fringe idea into reality. More recently, he has channeled public anxiety about immigration and social change in ways that mirror the approach of his ally, U.S. President Donald Trump, and various European populist figures.

Farage has made political hay — his critics say he has deliberately inflamed tensions — over migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, referring to the phenomenon as an invasion. He has also claimed that white people face discrimination at the hands of police.

Reform UK holds just eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, yet the party consistently tops opinion polls and scored major victories in local and regional elections in May. Those results contributed to Prime Minister Keir Starmer being pushed out by members of his own Labour Party. If the current political trajectory continues, Farage could find himself in position to become prime minister following the next general election, which must be held by 2029.

Beyond his lawmaker’s salary, Farage draws income from a variety of sources, including selling gold bullion, hosting a television current affairs program, delivering paid public speeches, and recording personalized video messages through the Cameo platform.

Parliament’s standards watchdog is currently examining a donation of 5 million pounds — roughly $6.7 million — from Christopher Harborne, a cryptocurrency billionaire based in Thailand. Farage maintains the money was a personal gift used to cover the cost of his private security, and that it was given before he was elected to the House of Commons. Under parliamentary rules, newly elected members must disclose gifts exceeding 300 pounds (about $400) received in the prior 12 months if those gifts are connected to political activities.

Farage is also under scrutiny for his financial ties to George Cottrell, an aristocratic entrepreneur in the crypto-gambling space who previously served a U.S. prison sentence for fraud.

A finding that Farage violated parliamentary rules could result in his suspension, which would itself trigger a special election for his seat — the coastal constituency of Clacton in eastern England.

Rather than wait for the investigation to run its course, Farage chose to force that election himself.

But political observers note that if he wins — as most expect — the standards inquiry will likely pick up where it left off. A finding of wrongdoing could then set off a second Clacton election in short order.

Farage has publicly expressed frustration and exhaustion with political life, and he has a track record of walking away from parties he once led. He previously stepped down from both the UK Independence Party and its successor, the Brexit Party, over the past decade.

Tim Bale, a professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London, believes Farage will ultimately stay in the fight to lead Reform into the next general election.

“Fighting and winning a by-election is perhaps his best hope of suggesting to people that he is still very much a man alone, fighting the establishment,” Bale said.

Farage insists he has “done nothing wrong” and portrays himself as the target of dirty tricks by political enemies and “constant demonization” by media outlets. He says his need for substantial funds is partly driven by serious threats to his personal safety that require private security.

Bale acknowledged the strategy offers Farage some cover, saying it “allows him to distract from the details of that story and those allegations.” But he cautioned that Farage risks coming across “as a self-pitying, angry guy on an ego trip who is determined to distract people from some awkward facts.”

Political opponents called the resignation a stunt and a sign that Farage is struggling. Reform UK has dropped three consecutive special elections it had hoped to win, raising questions about whether the party’s support is beginning to soften. The most recent defeat came against Labour’s Andy Burnham, who is widely expected to succeed Starmer as prime minister within weeks.

With Labour, the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party all declining to run candidates against Farage, the field is essentially open to single-issue campaigners and novelty candidates — including a comedian known as Count Binface, who campaigns with a trash can over his head.

The person behind the costume is Jon Harvey, who describes himself as a 5,000-year-old intergalactic space warrior. Harvey is a recurring presence in high-profile British elections, with no serious expectation of winning. His past opponents have included former Conservative Prime Ministers Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, London Mayor Sadiq Khan, and most recently, Burnham.

Dressed in the style of a low-budget science fiction film, Binface mixes absurdist humor with hyper-local policy proposals, such as synchronizing traffic lights on a congested street or relocating the hand dryer in the Crown & Treaty Pub in Uxbridge “to a more sensible location.”

In his most recent race against Burnham, his top campaign promise was to “cut your taxes, and raise everyone else’s.” He also maintains a standing pledge to cap the price of croissants at 1.10 pounds, or about $1.47.

Speaking to the BBC on Wednesday, Binface said his central pitch to Clacton voters would be simple: “I’m not Nigel Farage.” He suggested that the absence of mainstream candidates said more about those parties than about him.

“Are they running scared from old Binny, or do they think that Nigel’s running a cunning stunt?” he said.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Pakistani military announced Wednesday that insurgents killed 18 police officers who had been held captive since earlier in the week, along with 11 soldiers who died in a separate attack in the troubled southwestern part of the country.

The bloodshed represents the latest flare-up in a region where armed groups have been intensifying their assaults on both security forces and civilians.

Military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry stated at a televised press conference that the combined death toll since Monday has reached 42 people, with most of the victims being soldiers and police officers. He added that security forces had killed 54 insurgents across multiple operations during that same timeframe.

According to Chaudhry, the 18 officers had been in captivity since late Monday, when dozens of militants stormed a police post in Ziarat district in Balochistan province, killing nine additional officers in that initial assault. He identified the attackers as members of what the Pakistani government refers to as “Fitna al-Khawarij” — a label the government applies to the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army, or BLA, which Pakistan claims receives backing from India. India has denied any support for insurgent organizations operating inside Pakistan.

The 11 soldiers who died Wednesday were killed when insurgents ambushed the vehicle they were traveling in along a highway in Balochistan, Chaudhry said, adding that armed groups have struck at civilians and security personnel across several areas since Monday.

His statements came shortly after the BLA claimed credit for a series of recent attacks on security forces in Balochistan, a province where the Pakistani Taliban — known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan — also holds a significant presence.

Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest province by land area but its least populated. It has been the site of a long-running separatist insurgency as well as repeated attacks by the Pakistani Taliban. The BLA, which was designated a foreign terrorist organization by the United States in 2019, has taken responsibility for a large number of attacks targeting both security forces and civilians in the province over recent years.

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Eight children lost their lives and five others were hurt Wednesday when torrential monsoon rains caused a landslide that buried a madrassa at a Rohingya refugee camp in southeastern Bangladesh, according to officials.

Rescuers pulled 13 children from beneath the mud and debris that had engulfed the religious school. Eight of those children did not survive, while the remaining five were taken to medical facilities within the camp for treatment.

The tragedy follows a series of deadly weather events in the same area earlier this week. Separate rain-triggered landslides had already claimed the lives of eight Rohingya refugees — including women and children — in the camps just days before Wednesday’s disaster.

More than 1.2 million Rohingya refugees are crowded into camps in Cox’s Bazar, which is recognized as the world’s largest refugee settlement. The population fled to Bangladesh after a military crackdown in neighboring Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2017.

The vast majority of families there live in temporary shelters constructed from bamboo and tarpaulins, perched on steep, deforested hillsides that offer little protection against the landslides that threaten the region each monsoon season.

Authorities have been working to move families away from the most dangerous areas as rainfall continues to intensify the risk. The Bangladesh Meteorological Department has predicted additional rain in the days ahead, and officials say they are remaining on high alert for further landslides and flash flooding.

SAO PAULO — Brazilian federal police descended on the home of former President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday, conducting a search for weapons and ammunition that ultimately turned up nothing, according to one of his attorneys.

Lawyer Joao Henrique de Freitas shared the outcome in a post on X, writing: “The defense had already previously informed the whereabouts of all the weapons. Result: Nothing was found.”

The Brazilian newspaper Estadao first broke the story, reporting that Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes had authorized the search.

Bolsonaro, who is 71 years old, has been behind bars since November, serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted of plotting to overthrow the government following his loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the 2022 election.

Just last Friday, Justice Moraes granted Bolsonaro permission to serve his sentence under house arrest, citing health concerns. The former president has dealt with significant medical issues in recent years stemming from a stabbing he suffered while campaigning back in 2018.

Adding to the legal complications, a gun belonging to Bolsonaro was confiscated from one of his security team members at a police checkpoint last month. Despite that incident, Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet — in an opinion sought by Moraes — recommended that Bolsonaro be allowed to remain under house arrest.

A Qatari tanker carrying liquefied natural gas, known as LNG, faced the possibility of an explosion after sustaining serious damage during an attack on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, according to one source.

Although the LNG industry has seen accidents at land-based facilities over the years, a catastrophic explosion of an LNG cargo tank aboard a commercial vessel at sea has never occurred. Still, growing concerns have emerged as warring parties in both the Ukraine and Iran conflicts have increasingly targeted energy shipping vessels.

Tuesday’s attack on the tanker Al Rekayyat is the second time this year an LNG ship has been drawn into a war-related incident. Back in March, a Russian LNG tanker called the Arctic Metagaz caught fire in the Mediterranean Sea after being struck by Ukrainian naval drones, forcing its crew to abandon ship — an account provided by Russia’s transport ministry.

What exactly is LNG, and how is it transported?

LNG is natural gas that has been chilled to approximately minus 162 degrees Celsius, or minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit. That extreme cooling converts the gas into liquid form and reduces its volume by roughly 600 times, which makes it far more practical and cost-effective to ship across oceans.

The liquid is held in heavily insulated cryogenic tanks that maintain those extremely cold temperatures. At export terminals, the LNG is loaded onto specialized carrier ships built with double hulls and insulated cargo tanks engineered to keep the gas cold for the entire journey.

During transport, a small portion of the LNG naturally evaporates. If not managed, this so-called boil-off gas builds up pressure inside the tanks. Ships typically capture this gas and use it as fuel for their engines.

What dangers does LNG pose?

In its liquid state, LNG does not burn. The danger emerges if LNG leaks, warms up and converts back to gas, blends with air at the right ratio, and then encounters an ignition source.

To guard against these risks, LNG vessels are equipped with double-hull construction, multiple containment barriers, gas detection systems, pressure-relief equipment, emergency shutdown systems, firefighting tools, and strict operational protocols backed by thorough crew training.

Could the Al Rekayyat actually explode?

The Al Rekayyat reported a fire in its engine room, and a source indicated the ship was at risk of exploding — though there was no sign that the LNG cargo tanks had been breached. All crew members were evacuated without injury.

In theory, any LNG carrier could face catastrophic risk if damage causes a large LNG release, forms a flammable gas cloud, and that cloud reaches an ignition source. However, modern LNG vessels are built with multiple layers of protection specifically designed to stop any ignition from reaching the cargo tanks. Industry experts emphasize that an engine room fire does not automatically lead to an explosion.

The danger would grow significantly if the fire were to spread to the cargo systems, damage the containment tanks, or trigger a major LNG leak.

One industry source said Wednesday that as long as the Al Rekayyat does not come under any additional attack, the vessel would likely remain in its current condition and not explode.

Pakistan’s military announced Wednesday that 42 members of its security forces — including both police and army personnel — have been killed following three separate militant attacks in Balochistan, a troubled province in the country’s southwestern region.

The attacks took place beginning July 6, according to military officials. In addition to the security personnel who died, the military reported that 54 militants were also killed during the course of the three incidents.

Balochistan has long been a region of unrest, and the latest wave of violence marks a significant loss for Pakistani security forces in a short period of time.

(Note: The views expressed in this analysis are those of the author, Reuters Breakingviews columnist Pierre Briancon.)

French courts have already sent a former president to prison. Now they have handed down a detention sentence to a potential future one — far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Unlike that former president, who actually served prison time, the most Le Pen can expect is home confinement with an electronic ankle bracelet, a situation she is hoping to overturn through an appeal.

Regardless of her legal troubles, Le Pen announced Tuesday that she plans to enter the presidential race scheduled for April 2027. This time, she stands a genuine chance of reaching the Élysée Palace. Bond markets appear largely unconcerned about the populist economic proposals her party is advancing, or her capacity to handle the country’s finances. That calm may be misplaced.

Whoever steps into the presidency after Emmanuel Macron will face a country in deep financial difficulty. Recent French governments have repeatedly failed to rein in out-of-control budget deficits. The national public debt has now climbed to €3.6 trillion — a 60% jump since Macron took office more than nine years ago. According to the IMF, that debt is on pace to hit 120% of GDP next year. Budget deficits have exceeded 5% of economic output for three straight years and are unlikely to shrink significantly in the near term. The 2027 budget debate is expected to be a fierce battle, given a fragmented parliament and a crowded field of nearly 20 declared presidential candidates so far.

Over the years, Le Pen has pulled back from some of her more extreme earlier positions. She has abandoned her push to exit the euro, softened her pro-Russia stance on Ukraine, and even took aim at U.S. President Donald Trump, calling his approach to Iran “erratic.” Still, core elements of her economic agenda have stayed in place. She has consistently opposed government efforts to raise the retirement age to shore up the pension system. Her central argument — that reducing immigration will generate enough savings to pay for tax cuts for both households and businesses — is widely viewed as unrealistic.

Le Pen and her protégé Jordan Bardella, the 29-year-old she elevated to party leader while dealing with her legal battles, have been making overtures to the business community. In April, they sent a letter to business leaders saying they wanted to “listen” to them and identify what was holding back economic growth. This has fueled speculation that Le Pen might follow the example of Italy’s right-wing prime minister, who surprised many in Europe by managing her country’s finances with unexpected restraint over the past four years — even with a debt load of 140% of GDP. Italy’s borrowing costs have gradually moved closer to France’s, with both countries’ 10-year bond yields now within a percentage point of Germany’s.

While nothing is off the table, Le Pen remains committed to an interventionist economic approach centered on government benefits aimed at her core supporters in France’s struggling industrial regions. She has a long way to go before she can offer a convincing roadmap for addressing France’s serious fiscal challenges.

BACKGROUND: A French appeals court on July 7 upheld Le Pen’s conviction for misappropriating European funds but reduced the length of her ban from holding elected office, potentially reopening the door for her 2027 presidential run. The court imposed a three-year jail sentence, suspending two years of it, and ordered her to wear an electronic ankle tag for one year — a condition that could make running a presidential campaign both politically and practically difficult.

Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right movement, received a mixed welcome Wednesday as she took her presidential campaign to the streets of La Fleche, a small town in western France’s Loire Valley — just one day after an appeals court ruled she could still run despite confirming her criminal conviction.

As Le Pen worked the crowd at a local street market, some bystanders shouted “Give the money back!” and “Go to jail!” while others rallied behind her with chants of “Marine, President!” — a vivid snapshot of the deep divisions her candidacy is stirring across the country.

On Tuesday, the Paris appeals court upheld Le Pen’s March 2025 conviction for misappropriating European Parliament funds to pay staff members of her party. However, the court reduced the length of her ban from seeking public office, clearing the path for her campaign.

At 57, Le Pen has made three previous bids for the French presidency. Her anti-immigrant party, the National Rally, currently leads opinion polls, giving her a renewed push toward what would be a historic win as France’s first far-right president in modern times.

The appeals court had also ordered Le Pen to wear an electronic ankle tag for one year — a requirement that would have forced her to return home each night during the campaign. However, Le Pen announced she is taking the case to France’s highest court, and that appeal has temporarily suspended the ankle tag requirement.

Le Pen’s political protégé, 30-year-old Jordan Bardella, had been prepared by the National Rally to serve as the party’s candidate in her place. Now that Le Pen is back in the race, she has said that if she wins the presidency, Bardella will serve as her prime minister.

Bardella joined Le Pen in La Fleche on Wednesday — a town that has traditionally leaned left but elected a 25-year-old National Rally mayor, Romain Lemoigne, back in March. Supporters eagerly sought photos with Le Pen, with one exclaiming, “Marine, you’re the best!”

Le Pen appears to be drawing a parallel to former U.S. President Donald Trump, banking on voters setting aside her legal troubles and focusing instead on her promise to strengthen French sovereignty.

Her campaign team had already unveiled a new website earlier in the day, featuring an image of Le Pen with arms outstretched on a stage and the slogan: “For France, Revival.”

Speaking to reporters in La Fleche, Le Pen explained the meaning behind that message, saying it stood for “the revival of education, the revival of the justice system, the revival of security for our fellow citizens, the revival of control over our borders, and the revival of our sovereignty.”

Polling analyst Adélaïde Zulfikapasic of BVA pollsters said she believes Le Pen will likely advance to the second-round runoff of the presidential election, scheduled for May 2, due to her strong and loyal voter base.

“There is a degree of ambivalence among French voters: when asked which qualities they most want in a president, they point to honesty and probity. In practice, however, they tend to be less demanding,” Zulfikapasic said.

Still, the analyst noted that Le Pen’s bigger challenge will be expanding beyond her existing supporters, and that the guilty verdict could make winning over new voters more difficult.

Officials at France’s highest court, known as the Cour de Cassation, have previously indicated they aim to issue a ruling in early 2027, ahead of the election. If that court upholds Tuesday’s judgment, Le Pen could be required to wear the electronic monitoring device during the final stretch of her campaign.

CAIRO — More than 20 civilians have been killed in a series of drone strikes on civilian vehicles in Sudan over recent days, according to human rights organizations, as the use of unmanned aircraft grows increasingly widespread in the war-torn nation.

The Sudan Doctors Network reported Wednesday that a drone struck the outskirts of Khartoum, killing 10 civilians — among them five women from the same family — who were on their way to a wedding. The medical aid organization, which has been documenting violence between Sudan’s military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces throughout the conflict’s four-year span, attributed Tuesday’s attack to the RSF. The strike occurred on a road west of Omdurman, a city neighboring the capital, Khartoum. Everyone aboard the vehicle, which burst into flames, died.

The group described the strike as “deliberate and carried out using a guided drone” and urged the international community to put pressure on RSF leadership to end attacks on civilians.

A separate incident on Tuesday saw a drone hit a transport vehicle near a water facility in the province, claiming two more lives, according to Emergency Lawyers, a group that monitors violence across Sudan. The day before, 13 civilians — including five women — were killed when a drone struck their vehicle as they traveled to a wedding in the town of al-Shaatout in North Kordofan province, the same group reported.

Emergency Lawyers described the violence as part of a troubling trend, stating: “This attack is part of an escalating pattern of drone attacks on civilians as drones continue to fly over the northern parts of the province…monitoring residents’ movements.”

North Kordofan province has experienced a significant increase in drone strikes, amid repeated warnings from international observers about RSF forces advancing on the strategically important city of el-Obeid, which is home to the army’s 5th Infantry Division. According to the United Nations, drone attacks on the city have damaged civilian infrastructure, including power facilities and residential neighborhoods, as well as bridges and critical supply routes.

The war in Sudan erupted in April 2023 following long-standing tensions between the national army and the RSF. Since then, the conflict has claimed the lives of at least 59,000 people, forced roughly 13 million from their homes, and driven large portions of the country into famine. More than 30 million people are currently in need of humanitarian aid.

CLACTON, England — Nigel Farage, the 62-year-old leader of Britain’s populist Reform UK party, has made a bold political wager by triggering a special election for his own parliamentary seat. The unusual move could result in his only competition coming from Count Binface — a satirical character who wears a silver trash can as a helmet.

Farage, currently under investigation by parliament over millions of pounds in gifts from wealthy supporters, announced Tuesday that he wanted voters in his Clacton district in southeast England to weigh in on his conduct themselves. He described the parliamentary standards committee examining him as a “political tool” wielded by those threatened by his electoral rise, and characterized the scrutiny as coming from a liberal “establishment” determined to bring him down. He has denied any wrongdoing.

However, within hours of his announcement, every major political party declared they would sit out the Clacton vote, calling it a “stunt” meant to shift focus away from questions about his personal finances.

That decision left the field open for Count Binface — the creation of comedian Jonathan Harvey — who announced his candidacy on X. The character, who previously went by the name Lord Buckethead, has run against three prime ministers over the past decade as a way of poking fun at politics while, he says, honoring democracy.

“I will be a unity candidate and pledge to build at least one affordable house,” Count Binface posted on X.

Dressed in a silver outfit with a matching cape and his signature trash can helmet, Binface called on Clacton residents to give “your friendly neighbourhood intergalactic space warrior” the 10 nominations required to appear on the ballot.

Reactions from Clacton residents on Wednesday were varied. While some expressed confusion over the move, and a few said it confirmed their belief that Farage makes everything about himself, the majority said they still supported the longtime Brexit campaigner on issues they care most about, including immigration.

Zoe Banks, a 53-year-old office worker who did not vote for Farage in 2024 — saying she felt no politician could truly change things — told reporters she had no issue with the money in question as long as it was obtained legally, and that she believed he was being targeted by the political establishment.

“He’ll walk it,” she said of the upcoming vote. “This time I might actually vote for him, because if he’s not broken any rule … then, yeah, he’s got a right to complain.”

Bus driver Ray Lynaugh, 54, took a sharply different view.

“I dislike the man immensely,” he told Reuters. “What he stands for, what he’s done to the country. He is self-serving, self-centred. He’s an abysmal human being. Why people vote for him, I don’t know.”

For members of the governing Labour Party, the opposition Conservatives, and other parties, the prospect of Count Binface being Farage’s lone challenger underscores what they view as the ridiculousness of the whole situation.

“Nigel Farage vs Count Binface neatly illustrates the farce that is the Clacton by-election,” said Conservative lawmaker Ben Obese-Jecty.

Reform UK, however, sees the mainstream parties’ boycott as proof of their fear of facing Farage directly. Zia Yusuf, Reform’s home affairs policy chief, argued on BBC News that established parties believe it is “their birthright to have a stranglehold over British politics, and that is why Nigel Farage is so threatening to that.”

ROME — A new legislative proposal introduced Wednesday by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party would fast-track the removal of foreign nationals convicted of crimes and expand the government’s ability to strip them of Italian citizenship.

Under the draft bill, any non-EU citizen sentenced to more than one year behind bars would be sent back to their home country, whether or not they agree to go. Party members unveiled the measure at a parliamentary press conference.

The deportations would be carried out through bilateral agreements that Italy would negotiate with the offenders’ home nations. Those facing removal would have very few options to fight deportation — limited mainly to cases where they could face inhumane treatment or the death penalty upon return. Anyone sent back under the program would be permanently banned from re-entering Italy.

Brothers of Italy lawmaker Sara Kelany said the bill would also widen the list of crimes that could result in the loss of Italian citizenship for those born outside the country.

Separately, Italy’s parliament is already debating a related measure put forward by coalition partner the League, which would tighten the rules around obtaining citizenship and make it easier to strip people of Italian nationality.

Both Brothers of Italy and the League are facing electoral pressure heading into next year’s parliamentary vote. An emerging far-right anti-immigration movement called Futuro Nazionale is gaining traction in polls, reportedly pulling support away from both established parties.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Four people, including a prominent Palestinian aid official who played a key role in setting up public World Cup viewing events throughout Gaza, were killed in an Israeli airstrike moments before the Egypt-Argentina match got underway Tuesday, local health officials report.

The explosion transformed what many Gazans had hoped would be a joyful, communal moment — watching a possible upset of Argentina by an Arab team — into yet another grim reminder that deadly Israeli strikes continue to claim civilian lives despite a ceasefire that was reached in October.

The bomb struck a vehicle in the Sabra neighborhood of Gaza City at dusk Tuesday. Among those killed were Mohamed al-Wahidi, director of public relations for the Egyptian Committee in Gaza; 10-year-old Hamza al-Deri and his 8-year-old brother Fari; and the car’s driver, Ahmed Daghmush, 33. Dr. Mohamed Abu Selmiya, director of Shifa Hospital, which received all four bodies, confirmed the deaths.

The Israeli military stated that al-Wahidi, who was involved in coordinating the soccer screenings, was not the intended target. According to the military, the strike was aimed at a Hamas militant, and it said it was investigating whether Daghmush was the person they were targeting.

Abu Selmiya said Daghmush was a taxi driver with no known ties to any militant organization.

A separate Israeli strike had hit the same street about 30 minutes earlier, resulting in no casualties.

The Egyptian Committee, where al-Wahidi served, functions as the humanitarian arm of the Egyptian government, delivering food, shelter, and other aid to Palestinians in Gaza. The committee also spearheaded the effort to set up large screens across the territory for residents to watch World Cup matches together.

A large portion of the Palestinian diaspora lives just across the border in Egypt, which played a central role in brokering the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. Support for Team Egypt among Gaza residents has surged throughout the tournament, largely because coach Hossam Hassan has repeatedly used press conferences and on-field moments to draw attention to the suffering of the Palestinian people. After his team’s win over Australia on Friday, he dedicated the victory to both Egyptians and Palestinians and waved a Palestinian flag on the pitch.

During a Monday press briefing ahead of the Argentina match, Hassan called on the global community to take greater action on behalf of Palestinians.

When it comes to Greenland, President Donald Trump keeps returning to the same argument: the United States needs to control it. Rising international tensions, a warming planet, and shifting global trade patterns have thrust this remote Arctic island into the center of a major geopolitical debate — and Trump wants America to come out on top.

Greenland’s position above the Arctic Circle has long made it a cornerstone of North American defense strategy. About 80% of the island lies within the Arctic Circle, and roughly 56,000 people — most of them Inuit — call it home. Until recently, the island received little global attention. That has changed dramatically.

Greenland is a self-governing territory belonging to Denmark, a longstanding U.S. ally. Both Denmark and Greenland’s own government have pushed back firmly against Trump’s advances, with Greenland’s leaders insisting that the island’s people will determine their own future.

Trump’s persistent calls for U.S. ownership of Greenland — including earlier suggestions that taking it by military force was not off the table — have unsettled NATO allies and raised alarms among European partners who have long counted on the U.S. for their defense. He has since said military options are no longer being considered.

At a recent NATO summit, Trump made his position clear: “Greenland is very important to the United States, but it’s not important to Denmark. We need it for protection of the world, not just the United States.”

Trump has also claimed, without evidence, that Russian and Chinese military forces are operating near Greenland’s shores. He argues that controlling the island is essential to countering threats from both nations.

Greenland’s strategic value stretches back to World War II, when the U.S. moved to occupy the island to prevent Nazi Germany from seizing it and to protect vital North Atlantic shipping routes. During the Cold War, the Arctic was largely a zone of international cooperation. But melting sea ice is now opening up potential new trade routes — including a northwest passage — and reigniting competition over the region’s vast natural resources.

China declared itself a “near-Arctic state” in 2018 in a bid for greater regional influence, and has announced plans to develop what it calls a “Polar Silk Road” as part of its broader global infrastructure initiative. Then-U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pushed back sharply, asking: “Do we want the Arctic Ocean to transform into a new South China Sea, fraught with militarization and competing territorial claims?”

Russia, meanwhile, has been asserting dominance over large swaths of the Arctic, rebuilding old Soviet-era military infrastructure and constructing new facilities. Since 2014, Moscow has opened several Arctic military bases and worked to restore airfields in the region. Russia’s Northern Fleet is based there, and Russian military officials have indicated the area could once again be used for nuclear weapons testing if deemed necessary.

European anxiety deepened after Russia launched its war against Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged concern over NATO’s Arctic activities and pledged to bolster Russian military capabilities in the region — while also saying Moscow remains open to broader international cooperation there.

The U.S. already has a significant military footprint in Greenland. The Department of Defense operates Pituffik Space Base in the island’s northwest, established after the U.S. and Denmark signed the Defense of Greenland Treaty in 1951. The base supports missile warning systems, missile defense operations, and space surveillance for both the U.S. and NATO.

Greenland also plays a key role in monitoring what is known as the GIUK Gap — named for Greenland, Iceland, and the United Kingdom — a stretch of ocean where NATO tracks Russian naval movements in the North Atlantic.

Despite all this, at least one defense expert argues that outright U.S. ownership of Greenland would offer no real security benefit. Thomas Crosbie, an associate professor of military operations at the Royal Danish Defense College, told The Associated Press: “The United States will gain no advantage if its flag is flying in Nuuk versus the Greenlandic flag. There’s no benefits to them because they already enjoy all of the advantages they want.”

Crosbie added: “If there’s any specific security access that they want to improve American security, they’ll be given it as a matter of course, as a trusted ally. So this has nothing to do with improving national security for the United States.”

Denmark’s parliament passed a bill last year allowing U.S. military bases on Danish soil, expanding a 2023 agreement with the Biden administration that gave American troops broad access to Danish air bases. Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen also noted last summer that Denmark would have the right to end the agreement if the U.S. attempts to annex all or part of Greenland.

Beyond security, Greenland holds enormous economic appeal. The island is home to significant deposits of rare earth minerals — essential ingredients in cellphones, computers, batteries, and other high-tech products expected to drive the global economy for decades to come. Western nations are eager to reduce their dependence on China, which currently dominates the rare earth market.

However, developing those resources is no easy task. Greenland’s extreme climate makes extraction difficult, and strict environmental regulations have added further obstacles for potential investors.

KYIV, Ukraine — Three people were killed across Ukraine during overnight Russian attacks on Wednesday, including one fatality in Kyiv, where powerful blasts rocked the capital for the second consecutive night.

Multiple explosions were heard shortly after midnight — before officials had even issued an air raid warning. That unusual sequence raised concerns, as alerts are normally sent out ahead of strikes so that residents have time to seek shelter.

In the city of Kharkiv, two people were killed and 20 others were wounded in a string of overnight strikes, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 169 long-range strike drones and seven missiles — including five ballistic missiles — at the country overnight. Air defenses managed to shoot down or electronically jam 139 of the drones, and two anti-radar missiles failed to reach their intended targets. However, all five ballistic missiles and 20 drones successfully hit targets at 15 different locations, highlighting the ongoing pressure on Ukraine’s air defense network.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its military struck arms production sites in Kyiv, saying it hit a factory manufacturing components for Flamingo cruise missiles and another facility that assembles medium- and long-range drones.

Russia’s Defense Ministry also reported that its air defenses brought down 415 Ukrainian drones between late Tuesday and early Wednesday. Saratov Governor Roman Busargin said a Ukrainian drone strike killed one person, injured several others, and caused damage to unspecified industrial facilities in the region.

Nizhnekamsk Mayor Radmir Belyayev reported that Ukrainian drones damaged industrial sites in his city and left several people injured, though he did not identify which facilities were affected.

Yuri Slyusar, the governor of Russia’s Rostov region, said Ukrainian drones struck and damaged two oil tankers in Taganrog Bay, injuring two crew members. One of the vessels had to be evacuated. Slyusar noted there was no oil spill, as both tankers were empty and heading toward the port of Rostov-on-Don.

Back in Kyiv, one woman was killed and two others were injured in the Russian assault, according to city administration head Tymur Tkachenko. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said the attack damaged several administrative buildings, warehouses, a garage complex, and multiple city trams.

In the Zaporizhzhia region, a Russian guided bomb injured an elderly man and a woman overnight, according to regional head Ivan Fedorov.

Rescue crews in the southern Indian state of Kerala are in a race against time to find five people still unaccounted for, one day after powerful monsoon rains triggered a deadly landslide, according to officials.

The disaster struck near a tunnel construction site in Wayanad district — a hilly area recognized for its dense forests and sweeping green terrain — claiming the lives of at least three workers. Seven additional workers sustained injuries and are currently receiving hospital care.

Search teams, including disaster response units and sniffer dogs, fanned out across the area, which authorities divided into search zones. A local police official named Devamanohar told reporters that ongoing heavy rainfall has made the search effort significantly more difficult.

Video footage captured the moment a massive wall of mud collapsed during the downpour, tearing trees from the ground and demolishing metal and fabric barriers surrounding the construction site.

Kerala’s home minister T. Siddique spoke with reporters and characterized the event as something other than a natural disaster. According to the Press Trust of India news agency, he stated it was “not a natural landslide but a man-made one caused by the unscientific dumping of earth,” and alleged that construction debris had not been removed despite warnings from officials.

The construction company involved pushed back against those claims, asserting that the slide began well above the area where workers were operating, according to the same news agency.

Authorities have opened a formal investigation into the incident.

This latest disaster follows a pattern seen across India in recent years, with cloudbursts, floods, and landslides causing widespread loss of life and property damage.

Climate scientists warn that human-driven climate change is making South Asia’s monsoon seasons increasingly unpredictable. The monsoons, which traditionally occur from June through September and again from October through December, are now arriving in sudden, intense bursts that drop extreme amounts of rainfall in brief windows — followed by periods of little to no rain.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is scheduled to sit down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to talk through a controversial proposal to sell F-35 fighter jets to Turkey, according to a source familiar with the discussions who spoke to Reuters.

The source, who requested anonymity given the sensitivity of the topic, also said Hegseth is expected to meet with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz during the visit, with Iran anticipated to be a key subject in those talks.

Netanyahu made his position on the F-35 sale clear in a CNN interview on Tuesday, saying he had already communicated his opposition directly to President Trump. “It would destroy the power balance in the Middle East because Turkey has aggressive aspirations,” Netanyahu said.

Turkey, which is a NATO member, has been a vocal critic of Israeli military operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. The country has also repeatedly accused Israel of working to undermine a U.S.-Iran ceasefire agreement brokered by Pakistan.

President Donald Trump, who traveled to Turkey to attend a NATO summit, announced Tuesday that he intends to lift U.S. sanctions that had been placed on Ankara following its 2019 purchase of Russian air defense missiles. Trump also signaled he was open to selling Turkey F-35 jets — a move that is expected to face significant pushback both in Congress and from Israel.

The relationship between the U.S. and Turkey had soured considerably after Ankara acquired the Russian S-400 missile defense system, which led Washington to impose sanctions on a major Turkish defense contractor and remove Turkey from the F-35 program entirely. Relations between the two countries have improved noticeably since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, though current U.S. law still blocks the jet sales.

Speaking ahead of a NATO summit in the Turkish capital of Ankara, U.S. President Donald Trump declared Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding reached with Iran to end the ongoing conflict is finished.

“To me, I think it’s over. I don’t want to deal with them,” Trump said at the gathering.

The temporary ceasefire agreement, which had been brokered through Pakistan’s mediation between Washington and Tehran, was designed to open a 60-day window for both sides to work toward a permanent resolution. However, indirect negotiations held in Qatar wrapped up last week without any meaningful progress, and the U.S. military launched a new round of strikes against Iran on Tuesday.

Standing alongside NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump went further in his criticism of Iranian leadership. “They’re scum. They’re sick people. They’re led by sick people,” he said. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a waste of time dealing with them.”

Adding to the escalating tensions, the United States also moved Tuesday to cancel a license that had allowed Iran to sell oil on the international market. That action came after three oil tankers were struck by projectiles in the Strait of Hormuz.

The license in question had been issued by the U.S. Treasury on June 22 as part of the interim agreement, permitting the sale of Iranian crude oil and petrochemical and petroleum products through August 21. By revoking it Tuesday, the Treasury gave Iran a deadline of July 17 to complete or wind down any existing transactions under that authorization.

Tens of thousands of mourners lined the streets of Najaf, one of Iraq’s holiest cities, on Wednesday to witness the funeral procession of slain Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose coffin has crossed the border from Iran as part of a six-day ceremony.

Crowds carrying large images of the deceased leader gathered along the procession route, chanting “Death to America” and “Death to Israel” as Khamenei’s coffin was transported through the city streets atop a large truck.

Both Iraqi and Iranian flags were visible throughout the crowd, along with banners representing powerful Iran-backed Iraqi militia groups, whose members joined the procession in large numbers.

Najaf carries deep religious importance for Shi’ite Muslims around the world, as it is the burial site of Imam Ali, who was both the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammad.

The coffin had arrived the previous evening at Najaf’s international airport, where Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, along with senior government officials and religious figures, took part in a formal reception ceremony.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and commanders from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps also traveled to Iraq to participate in the procession. The coffin is expected to continue on to the Iraqi shrine city of Karbala before ultimately being returned to Iran, where Khamenei will be laid to rest.

A legal fight that has stretched nearly a decade may be reaching its conclusion Wednesday, as a top English court prepares to hear the final appeal in a case challenging Trinidad and Tobago’s ban on gay sex.

Supreme Court judges in London are set to consider a significant human rights case that, if decided in favor of the challenger, could make same-sex relations legal in the eastern Caribbean nation — and potentially influence how other Caribbean countries handle similar laws.

The case was originally brought in February 2017 by Jason Jones, who contends that his country’s so-called “buggery” laws — holdovers from the colonial era that criminalize gay sex — are unconstitutional. Anyone convicted under those laws faces up to five years behind bars.

Standing against Jones is the government of Trinidad and Tobago, which has the support of the country’s Council of Evangelical Churches and its largest Hindu organization, Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha.

The legal journey has passed through multiple courts over the years. Trinidad’s High Court ruled the laws unconstitutional back in April 2018, but a local appeals court partially overturned that decision in March 2025. That July, Trinidad’s Court of Appeals gave Jones the green light to bring the matter before England’s final appeals court.

The case is now in the hands of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, and LGBTQ advocates throughout the Caribbean are watching closely to see how it unfolds.

The region has seen a mixed record on the issue. The Bahamas decriminalized homosexuality in 1991, and the U.K. government struck down similar laws in 2001 across Anguilla, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Montserrat, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. More recently, courts in Barbados, Dominica, St. Lucia, and Antigua and Barbuda have also thrown out comparable laws. However, gay sex remains a criminal offense in Grenada, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Jones, now 61, has been openly gay since age 16 and left Trinidad and Tobago in 1996, citing what he described as homophobic violence and discrimination he experienced there.

LGBTQ organizations backing Jones noted in a recent court filing that his story reflects a broader reality, stating that he “is unable to fully express his sexuality without being branded a criminal.”

Jones himself has framed the issue as one of secular values, arguing that “Trinidad and Tobago is a secular society and a multi-racial one. Christian morality is neither universal nor superior.”

Attorneys and advocates point out that even though the buggery laws have not been actively enforced in recent times, their existence still carries real consequences. As one written argument recently submitted in Jones’s favor put it, “A law of this kind operates not only through arrest and conviction, but through the stigma, fear, concealment and exclusion.”

That same filing argued that criminalizing gay sex “compounds stigma at precisely the stage at which young people may be forming identity, seeking support, accessing education and healthcare, and deciding whether it is safe to disclose abuse, bullying or self-harm risks.”

The five-judge panel of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council could announce a decision as soon as the Wednesday hearing concludes, though there is no set deadline for them to do so.

TAIPEI — A top Taiwan official issued a stark warning Wednesday that China’s slow but steady escalation of pressure tactics could fundamentally change the situation in the Taiwan Strait — and the rest of the world might not realize it until it’s already too late.

Kuan Bi-ling, who leads Taiwan’s Ocean Affairs Council and oversees the island’s coast guard, made the remarks during a forum held in Taipei. She pointed out that China’s aggressive maritime behavior is not aimed at Taiwan alone — Japan and the Philippines are also feeling the pressure, particularly in the disputed South China Sea.

At the heart of her concern are so-called “grey zone” tactics — actions that fall short of open warfare but are designed to intimidate and coerce. Kuan warned that as these actions build on one another, the overall situation can shift dramatically without any single moment triggering alarm bells.

“Each individual action may not appear to trigger an international crisis. Each escalation of pressure may still be judged as not constituting war. But when a series of actions accumulates, it may create an entirely new status quo,” she said.

China, which considers Taiwan part of its own territory despite the island’s democratic self-governance, sends military aircraft and naval vessels into the airspace and waters around Taiwan on a daily basis. Regular Chinese Coast Guard patrols near Taiwan’s eastern coastline have also drawn sharp objections from Taipei, which insists Beijing has no legal claim to maritime jurisdiction in those waters. China, for its part, does not recognize any sovereignty claims made by Taiwan.

Kuan also cautioned that the long-term consequences of this pressure could ripple through international commerce and security — potentially causing shipping lanes to be rerouted, insurance companies to reassess their risk calculations, and frontline personnel to face mounting strain.

“And the international community, through repeated judgements that each incident is ‘not yet a crisis,’ may gradually become accustomed to things that should never be regarded as normal,” she warned.

“In the end, we may suddenly discover that no decisive war ever occurred on any particular day, yet the original status quo no longer exists,” Kuan added.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office had not responded to requests for comment at the time of the forum. Beijing has blamed Taiwan for the current tensions, particularly targeting Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te, whom it labels a “separatist.” Lai has maintained that only the people of Taiwan have the right to determine the island’s future.

Last month, the United States, Britain, France, and Germany all voiced concern over the new Chinese Coast Guard patrols operating off Taiwan’s eastern coast.

Also present at the forum was U.S. Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, who became the first U.S. senator to travel to Taiwan since U.S. President Donald Trump held talks with China’s Xi Jinping in Beijing back in May.

ZAPORIZHZHIA REGION, Ukraine — Russian military forces are working to neutralize a powerful Ukrainian drone strategy by hiding military cargo in civilian vehicles and deploying advanced electronic jamming equipment designed to knock out Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet service, according to Ukrainian drone commanders and pilots who spoke with Reuters.

Ukraine’s so-called “mid-strike” drones — capable of accurately hitting targets dozens of kilometers behind the front lines at relatively low cost — have fundamentally changed the nature of the conflict. These drones are frequently operated through Starlink connections, which had long been considered resistant to jamming attempts.

Throughout this year, Ukraine has used mid-strike drone campaigns to hammer Russian supply lines, fuel storage sites, air defense systems, and command centers. The effort has disrupted Russian logistics and created fuel shortages in Russian-occupied Crimea.

A Reuters crew that visited Ukraine’s 422nd Unmanned Systems Regiment in the southern Zaporizhzhia region heard from four drone commanders and pilots about the growing list of Russian countermeasures.

JAMMING SYSTEMS

An advisor to Ukraine’s defense ministry, Serhii Beskrestnov, identified one specific Russian jamming system called the Volna Kupol Garant. He said the device emits a signal powerful enough to destabilize Starlink connections across an area of roughly 20 square kilometers — about 7.7 square miles. Approximately 10 of these systems have been detected so far, he said.

However, the jamming units have themselves become targets. The 422nd regiment has participated in strikes against two of these systems. One was destroyed just hours after being located, in a joint operation with Ukraine’s SBU security service. Video of one such attack showed a massive explosion as a drone struck a site containing six large trailer-like boxes.

“As soon as we struck that installation, our Starlink-equipped (drones) flew without problems,” said a crew commander who goes by the callsign ‘Dyryhent.’

Meanwhile, Musk has blocked Russian forces from accessing Starlink to prevent Moscow from using it to guide its own drone attacks.

SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment, and neither did Russia’s defense ministry. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the specific tactics Russia is employing.

HIDING SUPPLIES IN CIVILIAN VEHICLES

During the Reuters visit to the 422nd regiment, soldiers working under the dim red glow of headlamps loaded a high-explosive warhead into a winged drone. The propeller engine coughed to life, and the craft — called the “Zozulya,” or “Cuckoo” — was launched by catapult into the darkness, heading southeast toward Crimea to strike a base used by Russian drone operators.

Drone commanders described how Russian forces have adapted their supply logistics to avoid Ukrainian strikes. Fuel and other materials are now being concealed in everyday civilian vehicles.

“We hit water tankers and the tankers were burning because there was gasoline inside,” said Kolesnyk, one of the commanders. “We’ve hit painted-up milk trucks that had diesel fuel in them.”

Russian forces have also begun running small fuel convoys escorted by pickup trucks armed with machine guns, taking back roads to stay off surveillance radar, and using civilian cars, quadbikes, and motorcycles to move fuel, ammunition, and supplies to the front, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

Russia is also using camouflaged underground shelters, abandoned structures, agricultural buildings, and civilian gas stations to store military fuel and supplies, intelligence officials said.

Rob Lee, a senior fellow at the U.S.-based Foreign Policy Research Institute, called Ukraine’s mid-strike campaign perhaps the most significant battlefield development of the year — but acknowledged that Russia is beginning to find ways to push back.

“If they scale production of the jammers, they could make it more difficult to conduct the middle-strike campaign,” he said.

Still, the campaign has not halted deadly Russian attacks on Ukraine. Russia continues to hold roughly one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, four years after launching its full-scale invasion, and not every Ukrainian drone strike finds its mark.

During the Reuters visit, the 422nd regiment fired a RAM-2X drone at a fuel tanker — and missed. The surveillance drone tracking the truck was then shot down by a Russian Tor surface-to-air missile system.

“At least we know it’s there now,” said one crew member, who logged the Tor missile system into Ukraine’s digital battlefield targeting database — marking it for a future strike.

Speaking in Ankara on Wednesday, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made a firm declaration that Denmark would stand behind every part of the NATO alliance — including its own territory — just one day after U.S. President Donald Trump once again pushed for American control over Greenland.

Trump has repeatedly insisted that the United States must acquire or take control of Greenland, which operates as a semi-autonomous territory under Danish rule. Those claims have created lasting tension between Washington and Copenhagen, both of which are founding members of NATO, and have more broadly strained U.S. relationships across Europe. The dispute has since shifted into diplomatic channels.

“We are ready to defend every inch of NATO, including our own territory … Of course we will defend the kingdom of Denmark,” Frederiksen said, making it clear once again that Greenland is not on the table for purchase or transfer.

The Danish leader also reflected on the founding purpose of the alliance itself. “One of the reasons why we have built NATO many, many years ago, is if anything happens to one of us, then everybody should stand up for each other,” she said.

NAJAF, Iraq — Funeral processions for Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei got underway Wednesday in the Iraqi city of Najaf, drawing thousands of mourners into the streets.

The multi-day funeral began Saturday in Tehran, where Iranian authorities shut down roads, airspace, and much of daily life as crowds gathered to honor the man who ruled Iran for decades with a firm grip while repeatedly clashing with Western nations. Following ceremonies in Najaf, Khamenei’s body will be transported to the city of Karbala before making its final journey back to Iran.

Diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran appear to be paused until after the burial concludes. Meanwhile, military exchanges between both countries in the Persian Gulf on Tuesday and into Wednesday have raised concerns that a fragile interim agreement — meant to halt the monthslong regional war — could collapse. The U.S. military carried out strikes on Iran early Wednesday, saying Tehran had first targeted three vessels in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran then launched retaliatory strikes on Kuwait and Bahrain.

Khamenei’s remains arrived in Najaf — one of the most sacred cities for Shiite Muslims worldwide — on Tuesday. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and other top officials accompanied the body. Crowds lined the streets holding portraits of the late leader, while some mourners performed acts of self-flagellation as a sign of grief.

The casket carrying Khamenei was draped in Iran’s national flag and enclosed in glass. Mourners in the streets waved Iranian flags alongside red and black banners representing mourning and a desire for revenge.

One attendee, Jaafar Jawad, expressed his feelings about the occasion. “We the people of Iraq will remain a thorn in the eyes of the enemies,” he said. “His arrival to us is the greatest possible honor, and God willing we will be loyal, and repay a little of his due in the holy city of Najaf.”

Funeral prayers in Najaf are scheduled to take place at the Shrine of Imam Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad. The ceremony will be led by Muhammad Taqi al-Hakim, a senior religious scholar at the Najaf seminary.

In Karbala — another city of deep significance to Shiite Muslims, where Imam Hussein, the Prophet’s grandson, was killed in 680 AD — prayers will be held at the Imam Hussein Shrine. Abdul Mahdi al-Karbalaei, a representative of Iraq’s top Shiite religious authority, will lead those services.

Khamenei was killed in late February during large-scale strikes carried out by the United States and Israel against Iran. He was one of several high-ranking Iranian leaders who died during the conflict. He was 86 years old.

Iran’s newly designated supreme leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, has not appeared at any of the funeral events so far. He is believed to be in hiding after reportedly sustaining injuries in the same airstrike that killed his father.

American military forces carried out a series of strikes on Iranian targets in the early hours of Wednesday morning, following attacks on three merchant vessels in waters off the coast of Oman. The action brought the Strait of Hormuz back into the global spotlight as NATO leaders gathered for the second day of their summit in Ankara, Turkey.

U.S. Central Command announced through a social media post that the strikes were launched “to impose heavy costs for targeting and attacking commercial shipping crewed by innocent civilians in an international waterway.”

The NATO summit is centered around demonstrating the alliance’s growing military strength at a time when U.S. attention is shifting away from European defense. Leaders are presenting military initiatives worth billions of dollars, with the goal of convincing President Trump that Europe is building a stronger defense posture within the alliance.

As Wednesday’s summit sessions got underway, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte declared that the overnight U.S. strikes on Iran were justified, stating that Iran had broken the terms of the ceasefire. “I think it is totally crucial that the U.S. forcefully reacts,” Rutte said. He also called on NATO members to reaffirm that Iran must never obtain nuclear capabilities and to stand behind the principle of free navigation through the Strait of Hormuz.

On Tuesday, President Trump met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ahead of the summit and announced plans to lift sanctions against Turkey, which could open the door to selling F-35 fighter jets to the country — a move that faces opposition from Israel.

Trump also took aim at NATO’s ability to operate without U.S. leadership, expressing frustration that some alliance members declined to participate in the military campaign against Iran — a war he launched alongside Israel without first consulting NATO partners.

The president once again pushed his position that Greenland should be “controlled by the United States, not by Denmark,” a stance that has been described as the single greatest threat Trump has posed to the NATO alliance.

Responding directly to Trump’s comments at the summit, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was unequivocal: “Greenland is of course not for sale.” She added, “We hope that all, including all allies, will respect the Greenland people right for self-determination. And we are sovereign states and we need everybody to respect our territorial integrity and our sovereignty.” Frederiksen also affirmed that Denmark stands ready to defend every corner of NATO territory, including its own, and expects fellow alliance members to honor their mutual defense commitments.

Overnight drone strikes launched by Ukraine against Russian territory have left one person dead, injured several others, and caused damage to industrial facilities and two oil tankers, according to local Russian officials speaking Wednesday.

The governor of Russia’s Saratov region, Roman Busargin, announced via Telegram that a Ukrainian drone attack in his region resulted in one fatality, injuries to multiple people, and damage to civilian industrial sites.

In Russia’s southern Rostov region, Governor Yury Slyusar reported on Telegram that two tankers were struck in the Taganrog Bay area of the Sea of Azov. He noted that both vessels were empty at the time and had been traveling toward Rostov-on-Don. Two people in the area suffered minor injuries, he added.

According to Ukraine’s military, Ukrainian drones have targeted roughly a dozen tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” over the past several days — vessels that had been transporting fuel to Crimea. The Sea of Azov serves as a critical supply corridor for Russian forces operating in Crimea and other Russian-held areas of southern Ukraine.

The mayor of Nizhnekamsk, a city in the central Russian region of Tatarstan, Radmir Belyayev, described a “massive” drone assault on his city in a post on the Telegram messaging platform.

Russia’s defense ministry reported that its forces intercepted and destroyed 415 Ukrainian drones over a 12-hour span.

These attacks are part of an intensifying Ukrainian campaign targeting Russian oil refineries, which has escalated in recent weeks. Throughout the ongoing conflict — now entering its fifth year — Russia has repeatedly struck Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, resulting in widespread power outages and shortages of heating fuel during the winter months.

Russia fired ballistic missiles at Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv overnight, officials confirmed Wednesday — the third such strike on the city in fewer than seven days, as Ukraine continues to struggle with a critical lack of U.S.-made air defense interceptors.

The latest assault unfolded as the NATO summit was getting underway in Ankara, where U.S. President Donald Trump was scheduled to sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for face-to-face talks.

According to air force data, Ukrainian air defenses managed to intercept more than 80% of the 169 drones deployed in the overnight strikes across the country. However, none of the five ballistic missiles Russia fired were brought down — a recurring problem for Ukraine’s defense capabilities.

Russia has intensified its air campaign against Ukraine in recent months, as its ground forces have seen their advances largely grind to a halt. Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian military supply lines and oil infrastructure have also triggered widespread fuel shortages inside Russia.

The human toll from Russian strikes on Kyiv and the surrounding region has been severe this month alone — 60 people have lost their lives in July.

In the overnight attack on Kyiv, one woman was killed and two others were injured, according to Tymur Tkachenko, the head of the city’s military administration. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that the strikes ignited fires in a storage facility and a non-residential structure in two separate districts on opposite sides of the Dnipro River.

Ukraine’s second-largest city, Kharkiv, was also targeted in missile strikes, with local officials saying private homes and a church sustained damage.

Zelenskiy has made repeated appeals for U.S.-made interceptors, which remain the only weapons in Ukraine’s military inventory capable of shooting down ballistic missiles. The missiles’ extreme speed and sharp downward flight path make them nearly impossible to intercept with other systems.

The Ukrainian president was expected to press the issue directly with Trump during their meeting at the Ankara summit on Wednesday.

Trump, who had spoken with both Zelenskiy and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the lead-up to the summit, said Tuesday in Ankara that he believed the war could be “settled, hopefully soon.”

Putin, meanwhile, has vowed to continue the war despite the growing challenges facing Russian forces. Moscow has demanded that Ukraine surrender the remainder of the eastern Donetsk region — territory Russia has been unable to fully seize after more than four years of fighting.

Ship-tracking data reveals that at least four oil and gas tankers have reversed course rather than pass through the Strait of Hormuz, as a fresh wave of attacks on vessels in the critical waterway has raised serious safety and security alarms.

The turnarounds follow an incident Tuesday in which a Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker and a Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker were damaged near the strait. Reports indicate Iran fired missiles at ships in the waterway, prompting maritime authorities to elevate the threat level for vessels attempting to transit the area to “severe.”

Three LNG tankers — the Al Ghariya, Duhail, and Al Ruwais — had been slowly making their way westward toward the strait before each changed direction late Tuesday, according to data from analytics companies Kpler and LSEG. All three vessels, operated by QatarEnergy, were traveling empty and bound for Qatar’s Ras Laffan export facility to pick up cargo.

A fourth vessel, an Indian-flagged tanker hauling 2 million barrels of Kuwaiti crude loaded late last week, also made a U-turn near the tip of Oman at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz on Wednesday, according to data from LSEG and Kpler.

Since the conflict began in late February, at least 16 LNG cargoes from Ras Laffan and 10 from ADNOC’s Das Island terminal in the United Arab Emirates have successfully passed through the strait. However, those numbers represent only a small portion of the roughly 7 million metric tons that are typically shipped from both export hubs each month.

A backlog of empty vessels waiting to load at Ras Laffan has been growing, with more than 10 ships in the queue as of early July, according to analysts at Vortexa. The firm also noted that more than 50 vessels controlled by QatarEnergy and ADNOC are currently positioned across the Middle East Gulf, India, and the Malacca Strait, with some having switched off their Automatic Identification System tracking signals for more than 10 days.

Despite the turmoil, at least two crude oil tankers did manage to exit the strait. The supertanker Tenjun, managed by Nippon Yusen KK and carrying 2 million barrels of Qatari crude loaded in late February, passed through the Strait of Hormuz late Tuesday. Another supertanker, the Pertamina Pride — managed by Indonesia’s state energy company Pertamina — also exited the strait Tuesday with its transponder switched off, according to shipping data. That vessel is transporting 2 million barrels of Saudi crude loaded in early March.

Nippon Yusen declined to offer any comment regarding the Tenjun. Pertamina had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

Two senior United Nations officials are sounding the alarm, urging Western countries to re-engage with Afghanistan before the nation slips deeper into instability — with consequences that could ripple across the globe.

“The lesson of (the) recent past is that ignoring Afghanistan is not a good thing to do,” said the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Barham Salih, speaking to The Associated Press during a joint visit to the country alongside the head of the United Nations Development Program, Alexander De Croo.

Salih, speaking via video link, said it is wiser “to engage, to support and promote the right type of policies to making sure that Afghanistan remains safe and secure.” He warned that without such engagement, “we may well risk instability, with all the implications of that instability” — including drug trafficking, extremism, criminal activity, and refugee flows.

Afghanistan, a country battered by four decades of conflict, is now facing a convergence of crises — natural disasters, climate change, and one of the largest waves of returning refugees seen anywhere in decades.

“In Afghanistan, there is never a crisis just on its own. It’s always crisis on top of crisis,” De Croo told the AP. “And that you see here.”

Nearly 6 million people have returned to Afghanistan since 2023, most of them from neighboring Pakistan and Iran after those countries launched crackdowns on migrants. Another roughly 2 million are expected to arrive back this year, according to the U.N. officials.

These returnees are putting enormous pressure on local communities that already have very limited resources in a country where poverty is widespread and malnutrition threatens the most vulnerable residents.

The situation has been made worse by steep cuts in international aid and a Taliban government that has excluded women and girls from education beyond primary school and barred them from most jobs.

Afghanistan also remains cut off diplomatically. No Western nation has formally recognized the Taliban government since it took power following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led forces in August 2021. Russia became the first country to officially extend recognition, doing so in 2025.

Last month, a Taliban government delegation traveled to Brussels to meet with European Union staff for discussions on diplomatic services and the return of Afghan nationals from European countries — a small but symbolic step toward breaking Afghanistan’s international isolation.

Despite the daunting challenges, U.N. officials noted that Afghanistan has made meaningful gains in certain areas, particularly in security, fighting corruption, and reducing drug production.

“I wouldn’t close my eyes to the fact that there is progress, and maybe progress that no one would have expected five years ago,” De Croo said. He pointed out that drug production has fallen by 95% in a country that was once one of the world’s leading producers of opium and heroin.

“If now the international community turns its back to Afghanistan, the consequences will not only be in Afghanistan. The consequences will be much, much broader,” De Croo warned.

He added: “The message to Western countries is: if you want to have a stable and peaceful society, you are not only achieving that with domestic policy. If you want to live in peace and stability, your neighborhood also needs to be at peace and stability.”

The Taliban’s severe restrictions on women and girls remain a major sticking point between Afghanistan’s government and the international community. Both De Croo and Salih said they raised the issue directly with Afghan officials during their visit, and both believe that continued engagement — not isolation — is the path to progress.

“We hope that constructive engagement will show the way forward in that regard,” Salih said. “It’s important that there is progress, there is tangible reforms that will allow for an inclusive system in this country.”

The cuts in international aid have had “a very tangible impact” on the Afghan people, De Croo said. He noted that 422 medical centers shut down in Afghanistan in just one year due to a loss of funding. “Closed because the funding just disappeared. That is more than 3 million people that are impacted, that just lose their access to basic medical services,” he said.

Earlier this year, the World Food Program revealed that funding shortfalls had forced it to turn away three out of every four severely malnourished children seeking help because it no longer had the resources to feed them.

The Taliban launched a poppy eradication campaign after taking power, but De Croo noted that the dramatic drop in drug production was also tied to programs that gave farmers alternative crops to grow. Funding for those programs, he said, has been sharply reduced — raising the risk that drug cultivation could return if support disappears.

“If we cannot continue working together with farmers in giving them an alternative for producing drugs,” drug cultivation could come back, he said.

Salih acknowledged that global attention has largely shifted away from Afghanistan, but said the current moment presents a real opportunity for the world to step back in.

“It is vital to remind the world that the price of inaction far outweighs action,” Salih said. “You cannot ignore Afghanistan, and what happens in Afghanistan does not necessarily stay in Afghanistan.”

PARIS — Marine Le Pen wasted no time declaring her fourth run for the French presidency, making the announcement within hours of a Paris appeals court ruling that cleared her path to the 2027 election.

Speaking during a prime time appearance on TF1, Le Pen framed her candidacy as the story of a fighter who had pushed through a lengthy legal battle that many thought would finish her political career for good.

“There are many French people who are going through hardships, and we too are going through hardships,” she said. “These trials, I believe, have strengthened us.”

Until Tuesday’s ruling, Le Pen’s chances of ever reaching the Élysée Palace had appeared finished. A court had previously handed her a five-year ban from holding office back in March 2025 after finding her guilty of embezzling European Parliament funds to pay staff at her anti-immigrant National Rally party in France. The appeals court on Tuesday reduced that ban, allowing her to run — though it did not overturn the underlying conviction.

Le Pen confirmed she intends to pursue a final appeal against the guilty verdict at the same time she campaigns for the presidency, a bold and risky dual strategy.

The move is a significant gamble. She must hope that France’s highest court sides with her in that last-resort appeal, and she must also convince voters to elect someone two separate courts have now found guilty of embezzlement. Le Pen appears to believe French voters will look past her legal troubles to make her the country’s first far-right leader in modern times.

“I think you should never impose anything on the French people; they must have the final say, and now the French people will have the final say,” she said.

Brigitte Barèges, a former lawmaker from a right-wing party aligned with the National Rally, said she understood Le Pen’s decision to press forward.

“I know her character and I’m a bit like that,” Barèges said. “You want to show those who caused you this setback that you are not dead because of it, that you are still there.”

The announcement comes at a moment when the National Rally has never been closer to wielding real power in France. Polling data indicates Le Pen should comfortably advance to the second-round runoff in next year’s election, though winning the final vote is considered less certain.

Le Pen told TF1 she is confident she will be able to campaign without the restrictions of an electronic monitoring tag, which had been a condition attached to her release. She also confirmed that Jordan Bardella, the 30-year-old party president she has mentored, will run alongside her as a candidate for prime minister should she win.

Bardella had previously been positioned to run for the presidency himself if Le Pen remained barred, and current polling actually shows him performing more strongly than Le Pen for the top job. Le Pen dismissed any suggestion that this arrangement might breed resentment between them.

“Jordan Bardella and I are fighting for France. We are fighting for the French people. This cause clearly goes beyond us,” she said. “And therefore our personal ambitions do not come into consideration at all.”

Barèges agreed that the National Rally’s chances are stronger with both figures running together, noting that over recent years the pair have built a powerful political partnership that blends fresh energy with seasoned experience, helping transform a once-fringe movement into a party that could realistically form a government.

“We have offered the French people a partnership, a partnership that I believe is complementary, balanced, coherent, and solid,” Le Pen said.

Challenges remain, however — particularly on economic policy. Critics have long accused the National Rally of lacking a credible plan to address France’s significant public debt and sluggish economic growth. While Le Pen dealt with her court battles, Bardella began moving toward a more free-market economic stance than his mentor on issues such as pension reform.

Among the unresolved questions is whether the party will hold to its pledge to lower the retirement age back to 62, a promise that some insiders within the party now view as financially unsustainable.

A senior party official acknowledged that several major policy questions remain unanswered, with tough decisions still ahead on issues including pensions and taxation.

Gilles Ivaldi, a political scientist at Sciences Po, said resolving the party’s internal tensions over economic policy will be critical to its prospects going forward.

“To govern and secure a parliamentary majority, the RN ultimately needs to win over right-wing voters and, at some point, reach accommodations with the mainstream right,” he said. “A broad alliance of right-wing forces is a prerequisite for the RN to take power.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards announced Wednesday that they carried out missile and drone attacks against U.S. military facilities in Bahrain and Kuwait, responding to a fresh round of American military strikes on Iran tied to attacks on tankers in the Strait of Hormuz.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the joint operation targeted key U.S. military sites, including Bandar Salman, Bahrain’s Fifth Naval District, and Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait. Iran also claimed it shot down a U.S. MQ9 drone it said was attempting to interfere with the operation.

Air raid sirens blared across Bahrain and Kuwait following the strikes. Kuwait’s military confirmed its air defenses were actively responding to what it described as “hostile” missile and drone attacks.

Earlier in the day, the U.S. launched its own round of military strikes against Iran and revoked a license that had permitted Iran to sell oil on international markets — a response to attacks on three tankers in the strait.

U.S. Central Command reported that more than 60 small boats belonging to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were among the targets struck, calling the action a response to Iranian shipping attacks that violated the ceasefire agreement.

“The unwarranted aggression by Iranian forces is a clear and dangerous violation of the ceasefire and undermines freedom of navigation,” CENTCOM stated.

Iran’s top military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, fired back, calling the U.S. strikes a “blatant act of aggression” and warning of a “crushing response.” The command also declared that Tehran would not tolerate American interference in control of the strait.

Iranian parliament speaker and top negotiator Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf accused Washington of breaking the ceasefire, pointing to the military strikes, renewed oil sanctions, alleged violations of Iranian adjustments in the Strait of Hormuz, and Israeli attacks against Lebanon.

“The era of bullying and extortion is over,” Qalibaf wrote on X. “We don’t fold.”

Iranian media reported explosions at Iran’s main oil hub on Kharg Island, as well as on Qeshm Island and in the southern port cities of Sirik and Bandar Abbas. Iran’s Press TV said multiple blasts were heard in southern Kharg Island, which serves as the export point for 90% of Iran’s crude oil. CENTCOM made no mention of Kharg Island in its statements.

A U.S. official told Reuters that American strikes focused on Iranian air defense systems, coastal surveillance systems, surface-to-air missiles, anti-ship cruise missiles, and drone launch sites.

No civilian deaths were reported in Iran, though several people were injured by shrapnel from what Iranian state TV described as an “enemy projectile” striking a commercial pier in Sirik. Reports also indicated strikes hit fishing piers in both Sirik and Bandar Abbas.

The escalating clashes represent the latest blow to a fragile ceasefire agreement reached last month between the U.S. and Iran, which was intended to pause a conflict that began with U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran.

On Tuesday, Washington revoked a key concession that had allowed Iran to sell oil on global markets — a move that sent oil prices surging more than 3%. Under the interim agreement, the U.S. Treasury had issued a June 22 license permitting the sale of Iranian crude oil and petroleum products through August 21. With the license now revoked, Iran has until July 17 to wind down related transactions.

A U.S. official said negotiators were still working in good faith toward a final agreement, but analysts note that Iran’s control over the Strait of Hormuz has given Tehran significant leverage in talks, effectively allowing it to hold its ground against the world’s most powerful military.

Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the oil license revocation as a breach of the framework agreement and warned that Washington would bear responsibility for any consequences. The ministry said Iran would take whatever steps it deemed necessary to protect its interests and national security.

While Iran denied responsibility for the latest tanker attacks, Qatar blamed Iran for striking three vessels, including the large Qatari liquefied natural gas tanker Al Rekayyat, which was hit by a drone that sparked a fire in its engine room. The crew was reported safe and was being evacuated. A Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker believed to be the supertanker Wedyan was also reported damaged off Oman, though the cause was not immediately confirmed.

Iran’s foreign ministry called Qatar’s accusations puzzling, insisting Tehran was honoring its commitments. However, the ministry also warned that commercial vessels face risks when using routes not coordinated with Iran.

A second U.S. official, speaking anonymously, said early indications suggested Iran had fired on three commercial ships.

Iran’s leadership has been pushing to establish a permanent system for collecting fees from vessels passing through the strait — a move that would represent a significant shift in regional power dynamics in an area where the U.S. has long served as a security guarantor.

The latest U.S. strikes came as large crowds gathered to mourn Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the holy city of Qom. Khamenei was killed alongside his daughter, granddaughter, son-in-law, and daughter-in-law on the first day of the conflict.

The ceasefire was designed to allow 60 days of negotiations toward a permanent deal, but indirect talks held in Qatar ended last week without any apparent progress. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened to resume bombing unless Iran agrees to “make a deal.” Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi warned that under the terms of the interim ceasefire memorandum, negotiations on a final deal would “not commence if threats continue.”

They gave themselves the name the “German driving school for experts,” but according to German prosecutors, the real purpose of their Telegram chat groups was far more sinister — bragging about sexual assaults on women and exchanging advice on how to sedate them.

Court documents reveal that members of these online groups used coded language to disguise their crimes: women were referred to as “cars,” sedatives were called “fuel,” and rape was described as “driving.” Victims were referred to in posts as “dead pigs.”

Investigators have spent years combing through posts across approximately two dozen group chats on the widely used messaging platform. Authorities believe the chats served as an online predator network made up primarily of Chinese men who targeted mostly Chinese women living in Germany. The investigation has already resulted in convictions for three alleged core members on rape and related charges, with a fourth man currently standing trial in Berlin.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This story contains discussion of sexual violence. If you or someone you know needs help, please call 1-800-656-4673 in the U.S., 116 016 in Germany, or 15117905157 in China.

Frankfurt chief prosecutor Dominik Mies spoke with The Associated Press about the case, saying, “The perpetrators were characterized by a particular ruthlessness, an objectification of the victims, and the perfidious planning of their crimes.”

Many key details about the investigation remain out of public view, including the total number of attacks and suspects connected to the Telegram chats, and how the groups — some of which reportedly had tens of thousands of members — were able to operate for so long without being shut down. It also remains unclear whether these chats are connected to a growing investigation in Europe and the Americas into sexual assaults facilitated by drugs within misogynist online communities.

Germany’s strict privacy laws limit what prosecutors can discuss outside the courtroom, restrict access to documents, and have resulted in members of the public being removed from the Berlin courtroom during certain portions of the ongoing trial.

These restrictions may explain why the case has attracted less public attention in Germany than might be expected. Still, members of Germany’s Chinese community — mostly women — have been showing up to court proceedings to stand in solidarity with the victims, even when they have no personal connection to them.

Fu Xiao, who traveled roughly 500 kilometers — about 310 miles — to attend the Berlin trial, expressed her frustration: “What makes one really angry is to see that such groups hate women, they have no respect. Women aren’t seen as people.”

In China, state-run media has provided extensive coverage of the prosecutions, but broader conversation on Chinese-language social media platforms like Rednote has faced partial censorship. Screenshots and searches show that certain tags have made posts more likely to be deleted or banned on Rednote. However, posts using less direct language — such as references to “date rape” or the vague phrase “students studying abroad in Germany” — have managed to avoid removal. China’s Ministry of Public Security and Rednote did not respond to requests for comment.

The German cases have been compared to the high-profile case involving Gisèle Pelicot, a French woman who was repeatedly drugged and raped by her then-husband and men he invited to their home over nearly a decade. That trial, and Pelicot’s choice to waive her anonymity, ignited a broader conversation about rape culture in France and internationally.

During a hearing in Munich for one of the Chinese men convicted in the German investigation, Judge Markus Koppenleitner addressed the wider significance of the case: “Pelicot is not an isolated case. This is not a Chinese or French phenomenon, but one that also exists in Germany and, ultimately, worldwide.”

Similar cases have been emerging around the world. While authorities have not publicly connected them to the German prosecutions, some investigators have said that tips from German law enforcement and journalists were critical to advancing their own cases.

In Los Angeles, German investigators reached out to police last year regarding a potential suspect in drug-facilitated sexual assaults. The defendant — a graduate student from China — is accused of drugging and sexually assaulting three women in LA after allegedly obtaining drugs from a Chinese national in Germany.

Last month in the Netherlands, police arrested four men suspected of drugging and sexually abusing women following information shared by authorities in Germany and the United Kingdom. Dutch police said the suspects used social media chat groups to spread videos of the abuse and discuss methods for drugging victims.

And just last week, Europol — the European Union’s police agency — announced “Project Medusa,” an international law enforcement operation aimed at dismantling online networks that promote drug-facilitated sexual assault. Germany and the U.K. are leading the effort, which has already resulted in 57 arrests.

The predator network in Germany was able to operate despite clearly violating Telegram’s terms of service, once again raising concerns about how the platform has been exploited for criminal purposes. In 2024, the app’s founder was arrested in Paris amid allegations that the platform was being used for illegal activity, including drug trafficking and the sharing of child sexual abuse images. He denied any wrongdoing, attributing the problem to a rapid growth in users that he said “caused growing pains that made it easier for criminals to abuse our platform.” That investigation remains ongoing.

In a statement, Telegram said, “Sexual violence is explicitly forbidden by Telegram’s terms of service and such content is routinely removed,” adding that the company “fulfils all of its legal obligations in relation to such harmful content, including everything set out by” the European Union’s Digital Services Act. The company did not respond to questions about the German cases specifically, including how images, videos, and commentary about sexual crimes could have been posted for years on the platform, or whether Telegram had alerted authorities.

Court documents indicate that some of the German Telegram chats date back to at least 2020. Attorney Magdalena Gebhard, who represented a victim in a prior Berlin trial that ended in a conviction, said there was an inner circle of eight perpetrators and that some of the chat groups had as many as 50,000 members.

According to prosecutors, police only became aware of the network in 2024 after a man in Frankfurt — identified in German court proceedings as Dapeng Z. — shifted from drugging and assaulting female acquaintances to targeting women he met online. German and Chinese media have identified Dapeng Z. as the group’s alleged ringleader. German police arrested him in 2024 with assistance from Chinese law enforcement, according to the Chinese consulate in Frankfurt and the Beijing News, a state-run outlet. He was sentenced in February to 14 years in prison for aggravated rape, attempted murder, and other offenses, though he has appealed. His attorneys did not respond to a request for comment.

Authorities have not publicly stated how many women were victimized by the “driving school” network, but have confirmed the investigation is continuing, meaning additional arrests and newly identified victims remain possible. Gebhard’s client, for instance, only discovered she had been sexually assaulted after investigators found video evidence of the attack.

On Wednesday, a verdict and potential sentence is expected in Berlin for defendant Zhiting S., believed to be part of the group’s inner circle according to German and Chinese state media reports. He faces charges of sexual assault, possession of child sexual abuse images, and other counts. Prosecutors say he used prior medical knowledge to instruct a Telegram group on which drugs could be used to sedate women before assaulting them, and that at least one person acted on his guidance before an attack in Frankfurt. German authorities also accused Zhiting S. of repeatedly sexually abusing a woman in China and distributing images of that assault online. His attorney did not respond to questions from the AP. In Germany, defendants are not required to formally enter a plea.

KOHIMA, India — Tovi Murru can’t pinpoint the exact date his family gave up cooking with gas. “It was sometime in April,” he recalls.

Since making that switch, the workload around his home has roughly doubled. Murru heads into the forest to collect wood from fallen trees, hauls it back, and splits it himself. He has also taken over most of the cooking duties. When the family still relied on liquefied petroleum gas, his 27-year-old wife Atoshi Ayemi handled the kitchen. But managing an open fire is simply too demanding for her, he says.

“The common person is really suffering with the rise of fuel prices. And LPG cylinders are no longer available. The few that are available are unaffordable,” Murru said.

Murru, 32, works as a driver and shares a company-provided home with his wife, their daughter, and two dogs. He acknowledges that if he had to pay rent on top of everything else, getting by would be nearly impossible right now. His monthly income is $125. When he can track down an LPG cylinder — which is increasingly rare — it costs close to a quarter of his paycheck on the black market, more than twice what it sold for before the Iran war began.

Murru proved to be a quick study at building a hearth, completing the project in under a day. He lights the fire with practiced ease and uses it to boil eggs and prepare a broth to be served alongside rice. “Azatina loves eggs,” he says, nodding toward his 3-year-old daughter.

Though Kohima sits more than 4,000 kilometers — roughly 2,500 miles — from Tehran, this small city is still feeling the consequences of the Iran war. Like many others, Murru struggles to understand why a distant conflict is disrupting daily life in his community. He is a Naga, a member of an Indigenous group with roots in northeastern India and parts of Myanmar.

Because India relies on imports for nearly 90% of its crude oil, the war has created hardships for drivers who need gasoline and for the millions of households and restaurants that depend on LPG.

Smoke from the fire irritates Atoshi’s eyes, and young Azatina’s as well. Tovi says the smoke is unpleasant, but adds, “it’s the heat from the fire that gets me,” wiping his forehead as he speaks. In a striking bit of irony, the family sets their meal out beside an empty gas cylinder.

Power outages have become a regular occurrence most evenings, leaving the couple to navigate their home using the flashlights on their mobile phones. Tovi dishes out the food, and the two dogs wait patiently nearby — their turn to eat comes next.

This report is based on a photo gallery assembled by AP photo editors.

ANKARA, Turkey — President Donald Trump blindsided NATO leaders gathered in Turkey when he ordered a wave of strikes against Iran late Tuesday night and canceled the license that had permitted Tehran to trade its oil on the global market. The dramatic move reshaped a summit that had been carefully planned to highlight how alliance members were ramping up their defense budgets and rallying behind Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia.

The military action came in response to attacks on three merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, and it exposed just how fragile the temporary ceasefire between the two nations really is. Trump gave the order shortly after stepping away from a dinner hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, where all 32 NATO member nations had gathered ahead of Wednesday’s formal talks on defense spending progress.

Trump made no direct public statement about the strikes Tuesday night. It is uncommon for a sitting U.S. president to order military action while traveling abroad, though in 2011 former President Barack Obama did authorize strikes against Libya while visiting Brazil.

European allies and Canada had already been on edge, worried Trump might air new grievances about the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran — a conflict they were never consulted about. Trump had called for “loyalty” from allies and labeled NATO a “paper tiger” after several member nations refused to open their military bases for U.S. forces to use in attacks on Iran.

During a Tuesday meeting with Erdogan, Trump revealed he had essentially been testing NATO allies when he asked for their support in the Iran conflict. “Italy turned us down and Germany turned us down and France turned us down,” Trump said. “And that’s OK. But, you know, why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars and they’re not there for us?”

NATO summits are traditionally meant to project a united front — a signal of strength intended to discourage potential adversaries. That unity is considered more critical than ever as Russia presses on with its war against Ukraine and fears grow that other European nations could eventually be targeted.

Last month, in an effort to keep Trump satisfied, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte traveled to Washington to celebrate what he called the “Trump Trillion” — the $1.2 trillion that European allies and Canada have added to their defense budgets since Trump first took office in 2017.

As world leaders arrived in Ankara, Rutte hosted a special event to highlight the major contracts tied to that spending — a large portion of which is expected to flow to American companies and generate thousands of U.S. jobs.

NATO officials had hoped Trump would embrace the moment as a victory, but based on comments he has made since arriving in Turkey, the alliance appears headed for another round of criticism from the U.S. president.

Trump also stirred up a familiar controversy on the eve of the summit, once again insisting the United States should control Greenland rather than NATO ally Denmark. That stance directly contradicts one of NATO’s founding principles — that member nations defend one another’s territory rather than threaten to take it.

Trump has long maintained that the U.S. shoulders a disproportionate share of NATO’s defense costs. At last year’s summit, alliance members agreed to invest 5% of their gross domestic product on defense — 3.5% on military budgets and 1.5% on infrastructure like roads, bridges, and ports to allow faster movement of troops and equipment during a crisis.

Ahead of this year’s gathering, Rutte called on member nations to present “clear, concrete and credible plans” for reaching the alliance’s spending benchmarks.

New data released by NATO on Tuesday showed that Slovenia, Belgium, Spain, and the Czech Republic may face scrutiny from the Trump administration, as all four countries are struggling to even meet the older, lower target of spending 2% of their GDP on defense.

The Trump administration has been pushing for a leaner, more capable “NATO 3.0” model in which Europe takes primary responsibility for its own security — including Ukraine — using conventional weapons, while the United States maintains its nuclear deterrent.

Despite that vision, European allies and Canada are still waiting for a clear answer on how significantly Trump plans to reduce the number of U.S. troops stationed in Europe.

The Pentagon has launched a six-month review of that troop presence, and any reductions could hinge on how quickly European nations increase their defense spending and whether they are willing to allow greater access to their military bases.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy used the occasion to again push for Ukraine’s admission into NATO, arguing that his country’s battle-hardened military would strengthen the alliance’s overall capabilities. Zelenskyy, who is scheduled to meet with Trump in Ankara on Wednesday, pointed to Ukraine’s ability to strike deep inside Russian territory, hit oil refineries, and attack other energy infrastructure. He said Ukrainian forces are eliminating an average of 30,000 Russian troops every month.

Anxiety is also rising among northern, central, and eastern European nations over the possibility that Russia may be planning a hybrid assault on the continent — blending traditional military tactics with tools like cyberattacks — as Russian President Vladimir Putin struggles to achieve a clear win in Ukraine.

Trump is also set to meet with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, a former insurgent who led the military campaign that removed longtime autocrat Bashar Assad from power in December 2024. Al-Sharaa, despite his past as an al-Qaida fighter, has gained Trump’s support as Syria works to rebuild and restore its relationships with Western nations.

Trump has repeatedly suggested al-Sharaa would be more effective than the Israeli military at rooting out Hezbollah in Lebanon — a claim that has raised alarm in both Lebanon and Israel. Al-Sharaa himself has stated he has no interest in taking on that role.