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The leader of a pro-Russian Armenian opposition party has been ordered held in pre-trial detention for two months, following his arrest on suspicion of large-scale fraud and money laundering, according to the Armenpress news agency, which cited a court ruling issued Tuesday.

Gagik Tsarukyan, a billionaire businessman, was taken into custody Monday alongside an associate. Prosecutors allege he was involved in the fraudulent importation of vehicles, machinery, fuel, and other goods valued at approximately $21 million from Iran between 2022 and 2024.

The arrest comes shortly after Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan secured re-election last month in a vote that saw him defeat a field of mostly pro-Russian opposition parties. Following his victory, Pashinyan vowed to take action against what he described as the “three-headed spy party of war” — a reference to three key opposition groups: Strong Armenia, the Armenia Alliance, and Tsarukyan’s Prosperous Armenia party.

Throughout the campaign, Pashinyan warned that opposition forces were attempting to pull Armenia back into armed conflict with Azerbaijan, a country with which Armenia has experienced intermittent hostilities dating back to the late 1980s.

On Monday, Armenian investigators conducted searches at Tsarukyan’s home and roughly 70 other locations connected to him and his wide-ranging business interests, which reportedly include a brandy factory, a cement plant, and a sports complex.

Tsarukyan’s legal team has indicated they plan to challenge any conviction, according to Russia’s state-run news agency TASS.

Eight opposition organizations, which had already alleged that last month’s election was fraudulent, condemned the arrests as politically motivated. The country’s Central Election Commission rejected a petition from opposition groups seeking to invalidate the election results on Saturday.

Tsarukyan, 69, is a former world arm wrestling champion who amassed his fortune in gambling, mining, and other industries during the turbulent years that followed the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991, of which Armenia was a part.

Ghana has postponed high-level bilateral meetings with South Africa that had been scheduled for next month, pointing to a recent surge in anti-migrant violence as the reason for the delay, according to Ghana’s government spokesperson.

Spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu made the announcement on local radio station Joy FM, explaining that the ongoing violence would likely have cast a shadow over the August meetings. Those sessions were set to be hosted by Ghana and co-chaired by South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa and Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama.

Kwakye Ofosu said it would be more appropriate for the two sides to come together “when matters settle.”

South Africa’s presidential spokesperson Vincent Magwenya told Reuters that the meetings of the South Africa-Ghana Bi-National Commission had been under discussion for months. He said Johannesburg only learned of Ghana’s intention to delay the meetings when it attempted to confirm the arrangements.

South Africa has experienced repeated waves of anti-migrant protests over the past several months. While most demonstrations have remained peaceful, some have turned violent, resulting in attacks on foreign nationals and the looting of businesses owned by immigrants.

Ghana had previously repatriated hundreds of its citizens ahead of a June 30 “deadline” issued by a South African anti-migrant movement demanding that undocumented foreigners leave the country.

Kwakye Ofosu emphasized that Ghana values its relationship with South Africa, but said it would be more fitting for Ramaphosa to make a visit “when the issue of xenophobic attacks no longer hangs over such discussions.”

Magwenya said both nations would “continue to engage through diplomatic channels to identify a mutually convenient date for the next session of the commission.”

Ghana’s foreign ministry stated last week that a Ghanaian citizen was shot and killed in Cape Town’s Khayelitsha township during anti-immigrant demonstrations on June 30.

South African police, however, said they had no record of any such incident occurring on that date. Authorities did confirm that a Ghanaian national was killed one day earlier in a separate Cape Town settlement, but said that incident was believed to be connected to extortion rather than anti-migrant violence.

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Heavy monsoon rains set off a series of deadly landslides in southeastern Bangladesh, claiming the lives of at least eight Rohingya refugees, five of them children, while the same seasonal weather system unleashed destruction across neighboring India, where 13 people have died in recent days.

Dollar Tripura, a Fire Service and Civil Defense official in Cox’s Bazar district, told the Associated Press that rescue teams pulled seven bodies from the debris, while an eighth victim was discovered by fellow refugees after multiple hillsides gave way between late Sunday night and Monday morning. All of the bodies have since been returned to their families, he said. Two additional children survived but sustained injuries.

Tripura said the slides struck at least four separate locations throughout the camps, burying makeshift shelters under mud and rubble while residents were sleeping.

Officials reported that persistent rainfall and water rushing down hillsides loosened the soil on the slopes, causing the temporary structures to collapse. Authorities have begun moving refugees away from high-risk hillside zones, and roughly 1,000 people have already been transferred to safer locations.

The weather office in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka has predicted additional rainfall in the days to come.

According to the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR, 36 refugees have died and at least 86 others were hurt in comparable landslide events at the refugee camps between 2021 and 2026.

More than one million Rohingya refugees who escaped from neighboring Myanmar currently live in camps throughout Bangladesh. Renewed clashes in Myanmar’s Rakhine state between the country’s military government and the Arakan Army have raised fears that another wave of refugees could soon cross the border.

Meanwhile, in India’s western Maharashtra state — which includes the city of Mumbai — at least 13 people have lost their lives in rain-related incidents over the past several days as monsoon conditions grew more severe. In Pune district, landslides forced officials to temporarily shut down portions of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway, snarling traffic between the two major cities.

India’s Meteorological Department has forecast continued heavy rainfall across Maharashtra in the coming days and cautioned that low-lying areas face ongoing flood risks.

In the northern Himalayan regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, powerful rains set off flash floods and landslides that damaged roads, disrupted transportation, and left several villages cut off. Emergency response teams were sent in to evacuate residents who were stranded.

India’s annual southwest monsoon season, which spans from June through September, plays a vital role in supporting agriculture and refilling water supplies. However, it also brings widespread flooding and landslides each year, especially in the Himalayan region and in heavily populated cities where drainage systems struggle to keep up.

LONDON — Nigel Farage, who has long cast himself as a thorn in the side of Britain’s political elite, made another dramatic move Tuesday, announcing he would step down from his parliamentary seat and immediately campaign to win it back — a direct response to mounting questions about his personal finances.

The surprise announcement follows recent reports that Farage accepted a £5 million (roughly $6.7 million) gift from a Thailand-based billionaire who invests in cryptocurrency, a transaction critics say was not properly disclosed and is now under investigation by a parliamentary standards watchdog. Questions have also been raised about financial support he received from a political ally who was previously convicted of wire fraud in the United States.

Farage described the decision to force a by-election as part of his strategy of “sticking two fingers up at the establishment,” saying he expected voters in his constituency to reaffirm their support for him as their representative in parliament.

The gamble carries real risk. Opposition parties could flood resources into the race, coordinate their efforts to back whoever has the best chance of defeating him, or dismiss the whole exercise as a publicity stunt. Regardless of how rival parties respond, the resulting vote would effectively become a referendum on Farage’s political future — well ahead of the next scheduled national election in 2029.

Farage, 62, has been one of the most polarizing and influential figures in British politics for more than two decades. As the leading public voice for Brexit, he spent years pressuring successive prime ministers to take a harder line on immigration and ultimately helped force the 2016 referendum in which British voters chose to leave the European Union by a margin of 52% to 48%.

His Reform UK party has topped nearly every national opinion poll for more than a year and has scored wins in local elections, putting serious pressure on both the Labour and Conservative parties, which have dominated British politics for a century.

Despite never serving in government and only winning a seat in the national parliament on his eighth attempt — in 2024 — Farage is widely seen as having reshaped British political debate more than many prime ministers who actually held power.

His career has been anything but straightforward. He has resigned four times from two separate political parties and has had very public falling-outs with numerous colleagues. Yet his everyman image — often photographed holding a cigarette in one hand and a pint of beer in the other — has kept him a constant presence in British media.

After the Brexit referendum victory, Farage abruptly quit as leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party just eight days later, saying he wanted his “life back.” He returned two years later when Brexit negotiations stalled in parliament. His newly formed Brexit Party won the European Parliament elections in 2019, rattling Conservative lawmakers enough that they moved to oust then-Prime Minister Theresa May.

He stepped back again to pursue a media career and cultivated a close relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. Eventually, he re-entered politics under the Reform UK banner, and his party’s strong showing is widely credited with contributing to the Conservative Party’s worst-ever electoral defeat.

Over the past year, Reform UK has worked to build a more professional political operation, bringing in major donors and relocating to a new headquarters near parliament. Pollsters now suggest the party could win the most seats in the 2029 general election — a result that would put Farage in position to become prime minister.

But reaching that goal would require him to withstand the kind of intense scrutiny that comes with being a genuine contender for government leadership, not simply a critic from the outside.

New estimates released by NATO on Tuesday reveal that five member nations are already projected to reach — and surpass — the alliance’s core defense spending benchmark of 3.5% of gross domestic product in 2026. The data was published ahead of a leaders’ summit taking place in Ankara.

The 3.5% target was established at a summit in The Hague last year, raising the bar from a previous goal of 2%. NATO leaders at that gathering also committed to directing an additional 1.5% of GDP toward broader defense-related priorities, including cybersecurity improvements.

The push for higher defense budgets comes as alliance members have faced increasing pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to show they are doing more to fund their own security.

According to Tuesday’s figures, Lithuania tops the list among NATO members when measuring core defense spending as a share of economic output, coming in at an estimated 5.33% of GDP this year. Estonia follows at 5.1%, with Latvia at 4.92%, Poland at 4.68%, and Greece at 3.65%.

The data also looked back at last year’s performance, showing that three NATO members fell short of the previous 2% target: Albania at 1.48%, Slovenia at 1.57%, and the Czech Republic at 1.86%.

However, both Albania and the Czech Republic are expected to surpass the 2% threshold this year. A note included in the report indicates that Slovenia’s new government has plans to push spending above 2% as well.

Several other nations are projected to land right at or just above the 2% mark, including Belgium at 2%, Portugal at 2.1%, and Italy at 2.1%.

For major Western powers, the United States is estimated at 3.17% of GDP, Germany at 2.69%, the United Kingdom at 2.56%, and France at 2.22%.

Taken together, European NATO members and Canada are projected to spend a combined 2.53% of GDP on core defense this year.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Large-scale police and military deployments in the capital cities of Kenya and Tanzania brought planned protests to a halt on Tuesday, as both East African nations observed July 7, a date that carries significant historical weight for each country.

For Kenya, July 7 is a day that honors the struggle for multiparty democracy that took place in the 1990s. For Tanzania, the date marks the 72nd anniversary of the founding of what has since become the country’s ruling political party.

Protesters in Tanzania had intended to use the day to demand democratic reforms in the wake of October’s disputed election, and to call for the release of opposition leader Tundu Lissu, who remains behind bars facing treason charges.

In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania’s main commercial city, both police and military personnel were stationed throughout the area, and no protesters were seen gathering. An annual trade fair that was already underway continued under a heavy security presence.

On Monday evening, Tanzania’s Home Affairs Minister, Patrobas Katambi, addressed journalists and made clear that Tanzania was not a place where outside forces could dictate when protests would occur. He stated that the government stood ready to defend public order against any threat.

Political analysts note that the Tanzanian government has been on heightened alert ever since the October election and the violent crackdown that followed, during which hundreds of people lost their lives.

Wade Green, an analyst with Aldebaran Threat Consultants, said that for protesters to succeed in Tanzania, they would need to “catch the security forces off-guard because their guard is so up right now.”

Green went on to say: “Unless the protesters were really strong and organized, there would be no way to overcome the lethality that the Tanzanian security forces unleashed last year and are willing to unleash again.”

Meanwhile, in Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi, police surrounded parliament buildings with barbed wire and shut down major roadways. Several businesses in the area also closed their doors. A small number of people were taken into custody.

Kenyan opposition politician James Orengo criticized the overwhelming police presence in Nairobi, calling it an attempt to intimidate ordinary citizens.

“These are the characteristics of a police state. You find police deployed even when there is no fracas, there is no march, there is no demonstration, there are no vehicles on the road, and even holding a press conference becomes difficult, but we are undeterred,” Orengo said.

BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s president-elect Abelardo de la Espriella announced Tuesday that he is halting the formal transition process with the current administration of President Gustavo Petro.

The decision came one day after Petro refused to acknowledge de la Espriella’s victory in the June 21 runoff election, claiming the vote was fraudulent — a charge he made without presenting any supporting evidence.

De la Espriella, a conservative businessman and lawyer who received an endorsement from U.S. President Donald Trump, posted on X that the transition would be stopped “immediately” with what he described as the “corrupt” outgoing government, which has less than a month left in power. He further accused Petro’s administration of attempting to “destroy Colombia” through its “decisions and conduct.”

In Colombia, the transition period — known locally as “empalme” — is a structured process in which the departing administration shares the information a president-elect needs to prepare for taking office. However, the handover between the politically opposed Petro and de la Espriella has been defined by back-and-forth accusations from the start.

Colombia’s finance minister, Germán Ávila, who also serves as the Petro administration’s transition coordinator, responded by directing his own team to pause their participation in the handover. Speaking in a televised address, Ávila pushed back against comments made by members of de la Espriella’s transition team, stating: “The transition process is not a criminal investigation; it is not a trial. We have absolutely nothing to hide.”

De la Espriella indicated he would soon address the public to elaborate on his decision and outline what actions he intends to take in the near future.

The president-elect’s background is in business and law, with interests that span a clothing line, wine and rum brands, and a restaurant. He secured Trump’s endorsement despite having no prior experience as an elected official. In the June 21 runoff, he defeated progressive lawmaker Iván Cepeda by a margin of just one percentage point — a difference of more than 251,000 votes.

The outcome was widely seen as a rejection of Petro’s governing approach, which Cepeda had pledged to carry forward, including a largely unsuccessful initiative to open peace negotiations with various armed groups operating in the country.

Following the runoff, a European Union election observer mission commended the vote-counting process for its transparency and efficiency. The Carter Center separately concluded that the results management system was “reliable, transparent and fully traceable.”

Kazakhstan’s highest court issued a ruling Tuesday clearing the way for President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to remain in power for another seven years beyond his current term, which ends in 2029.

The Constitutional Court determined that Tokayev’s existing time in office does not count toward term limits under newly approved changes to the country’s constitution. Those amendments were passed by voters in a nationwide referendum held in March and officially took effect this month.

Kazakhstan joins a growing list of former Soviet republics — including Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan — whose leaders have rewritten or replaced their constitutions in ways that bolster executive authority and allow them to hold onto power longer.

Tokayev, who is 73 years old, has governed the oil-rich Central Asian nation of 20 million people since 2019. Before becoming president, he served as a Soviet official, diplomat, and worked at the United Nations.

The constitutional amendments received overwhelming support in the March referendum and have further solidified Tokayev’s hold on the country. Tokayev has argued the changes were necessary to allow for faster decision-making in an increasingly unpredictable global environment.

The revisions also restructured Kazakhstan’s parliament by combining its two chambers into a single body and granted the president authority to appoint key government officials — with legislative approval — including restoring the position of vice president.

Additionally, the amendments established a new body called the People’s Council, which operates alongside parliament and has the ability to introduce legislation and call for referendums. The president appoints the members of this council.

Political opposition in Kazakhstan holds no seats in government and has had little success in shaping public opinion within the country.

Tokayev first assumed the presidency in 2019 following the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had ruled Kazakhstan for nearly 30 years and guided the country through its transition to independence after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991. Tokayev was widely regarded as Nazarbayev’s chosen successor.

In 2022, Tokayev ordered a crackdown on nationwide protests that resulted in 238 deaths and thousands of injuries — a period that some Kazakhs have called “Bloody January.” Following the unrest, he sought to reposition himself as a reformer and called a snap presidential election, which he won by a wide margin later that same year.

Russia’s largest oil refinery has gone offline following a Ukrainian drone attack, according to two industry insiders who spoke on Tuesday.

The strike, which took place Monday at the Omsk refinery deep in Siberia, ranks among the farthest-reaching attacks Ukraine has carried out since the conflict began — a war now entering its fifth year.

The shutdown of the facility, which leads all Russian refineries in gasoline production, is expected to make fuel shortages worse throughout the country.

Anatoly Seryshev, President Vladimir Putin’s representative in Siberia, confirmed the damage in an official statement Tuesday. “Facilities at the Omsk oil refinery were damaged as a result of (Monday’s) attack. No plant personnel were injured,” he said. Seryshev added that “damage assessment is currently under way, and competent services have organized restoration work,” though he offered no specifics about how operations had been affected.

Gazprom Neft, the company that owns the refinery, had not responded to a request for comment as of the time of reporting.

Industry sources said a crude distillation unit known as CDU-10 caught fire and sustained damage during the attack. That unit is responsible for roughly 38% of the plant’s total output, with a daily processing capacity of 24,580 metric tons.

Since Tuesday, the Omsk refinery has stopped listing gasoline and diesel for sale on the Saint Petersburg International Mercantile Exchange, according to exchange data.

A second major processing unit, CDU-11, was also taken offline, the sources said. That unit handles 37% of the refinery’s capacity and can process 24,000 tons of oil each day. While CDU-11 was not directly hit, critical network connections needed to run it were damaged. The sources noted that CDU-11, which began operations in 2023, may be able to restart in the near term.

The refinery also has two mothballed processing units — CDU-7 and CDU-8 — each capable of handling 10,000 tons per day, which could theoretically be brought back online.

In 2024, the Omsk refinery processed approximately 22 million tons of oil, equivalent to around 440,000 barrels per day, producing 5 million tons of gasoline and 8 million tons of diesel, according to the sources.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is set to leave office later this month, delivered a speech last week highlighting what he considers his key achievements in office. Among those accomplishments, the Labour Party leader pointed to the makeup of the current Parliament.

Speaking before an LGBT gathering, Starmer proudly declared that he had the privilege of working alongside what he called “the gayest Parliament ever.” He went on to say, “I don’t think there’s any Parliament that is gayer than this Parliament and that is fantastic.”

The remarks drew attention given their unusual phrasing. Of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, 76 members currently identify as LGBT.

A deadly riot at a prison in Sri Lanka was triggered by a conflict between two groups of inmates over drug smuggling inside the facility, a senior government official confirmed Tuesday.

The violence unfolded over two days at the prison located in Negombo, a coastal town roughly 35 kilometers — about 20 miles — north of the commercial capital, Colombo. When the fighting finally ended, 26 people were dead, including seven prison officials, and dozens more had been injured.

Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara told parliament that early investigations indicate the conflict began after a small number of prisoners informed authorities about an attempt to smuggle drugs into the prison.

“This had angered a second group of inmates who were supporting the smuggling. This was what started the clash,” Nanayakkara told lawmakers.

He went on to describe how the situation rapidly worsened once prison staff tried to step in. “When prison officials attempted to intervene it had escalated. Prisoners attacked prison officials with bricks and poles. Prison officials fired in self-defence. At the moment we are unaware of how prisoners got possession of weapons. Investigations into these details are ongoing,” he said.

Nanayakkara also noted that a small number of inmates had managed to knock out the prison’s CCTV camera system during the unrest.

To help address severe overcrowding in the aftermath, 734 prisoners were transferred to four other facilities on Tuesday morning, according to the Department of Prisons. The Negombo prison was housing approximately 2,400 inmates at the time of the riot, far exceeding its intended capacity of around 650, according to the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners.

Dozens of police officers and special forces units were deployed to restore order on Monday, and around 100 people — both inmates and prison staff — received hospital treatment for their injuries. Military personnel with armored vehicles remained stationed outside the prison as of Tuesday.

Sri Lanka has seen deadly prison unrest before. A riot in November 2020 left 11 inmates dead, and a separate incident in Colombo in 2012 resulted in 27 fatalities.

At least three Palestinians lost their lives Tuesday as Israeli airstrikes struck multiple locations across the Gaza Strip, according to the territory’s health officials.

In the first incident, a man was killed and two children were injured when an Israeli airstrike hit the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, according to medics on the ground. The Israeli military confirmed to Reuters that the strike had targeted a Hamas militant.

Later that same day, a second Israeli airstrike landed near a tent encampment sheltering displaced families in western Gaza City, claiming one life and leaving five others wounded. A third strike in Khan Younis also killed one person and injured three more, medics reported. The Israeli military offered no immediate response regarding either of those two incidents.

Israel has conducted repeated strikes throughout Gaza since a ceasefire brokered by the United States with Hamas was reached last October. Israeli officials have stated the strikes are aimed at militants who pose a threat to Israeli forces or who participated in the October 2023 attack on Israel.

Hamas has charged Israel with breaking the terms of the ceasefire agreement. Nikolay Mladenov, appointed by U.S. President Donald Trump as the Board of Peace envoy to Gaza, has stated that both parties have committed violations of the agreement.

In the eight months since the ceasefire took effect, more than 1,070 Palestinians — a significant number of them civilians — and four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza, based on figures provided by both sides. Hamas has not disclosed how many of its own fighters have died.

Israeli forces currently control more than 60% of Gaza, patrolling what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refers to as a buffer zone designed to prevent Hamas attacks. Netanyahu has made clear that Israel has no plans to withdraw from the territory.

Israel’s extensive aerial and ground campaign in Gaza has displaced nearly the entire population of roughly 2 million people. Most residents are now living in tents or partially destroyed buildings within a narrow coastal strip of land under Hamas governance.

JUBA, South Sudan — The government of South Sudan confirmed late Monday that a government-appointed county commissioner serving in an opposition stronghold within the oil-rich Jonglei State was “assassinated” by opposition forces, marking a dangerous escalation in renewed fighting across the region.

The violence in Jonglei has been intensifying over recent days, with the full number of casualties still unknown. The strategically important county of Akobo has become a flashpoint, with both the government and the opposition having appointed their own rival county commissioners to the area.

James Kueth Makuach, who held the government-appointed commissioner role, was killed on Sunday when opposition fighters launched an attack on Walgak, a remote location in Akobo West. Officials from both sides confirmed the details of the assault.

Makuach had switched allegiance to President Salva Kiir’s ruling party in April, following his removal by the opposition’s acting leadership earlier in the year. The government subsequently named him county commissioner, a move that bypassed the terms of a 2018 peace agreement, which designated that position in Akobo County to the opposition party led by Riek Machar. Machar is currently imprisoned and faces treason charges.

In a formal statement, the ruling party said it “strongly condemns the brutal killing” of the commissioner and announced it would convene an emergency session to address the matter.

The opposition-appointed governor, John Wiyual Lul, stated that opposition fighters briefly took control of the area before pulling back when government reinforcements arrived. He noted that senior military officers were among the fatalities.

Jonglei State government spokesperson Nyamar Lony Thichiot told The Associated Press late Monday that the exact number of casualties had not yet been determined.

The Reconstituted Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission, which was established to oversee South Sudan’s peace process, issued a statement Monday warning that the renewed fighting is undermining the implementation of the 2018 peace deal that ended the country’s civil war and is putting civilian lives at risk.

Clashes in Akobo County first broke out in March when opposition forces targeted a government installation. In June, the United Nations pulled its peacekeepers from a base that had been set up to help shield civilians from harm.

Leaders from civil society groups cautioned that political tensions are increasingly translating into armed conflict once again.

Juba-based civil society activist Bol Deng Bol described the situation as “an unfortunate relapse into violence and a clear threat to civilians, their property and humanitarian operations.” Fellow activist Edmond Yakani called on both the opposition and the government to fully honor the permanent ceasefire agreement.

South Sudan is set to hold long-delayed elections on December 22 — its first since gaining independence from Sudan in 2011.

LONDON (AP) — Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has announced he will deliver a public statement Tuesday about his political future, as scrutiny intensifies over financial donations connected to a cryptocurrency billionaire and a man convicted of fraud.

Farage, who is known as a close British ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, posted on X that he would address his future in public life at 2 p.m., though he offered no additional details ahead of the announcement.

The Reform UK leader is currently the subject of a parliamentary standards investigation involving a 5 million pound — roughly $6.7 million — gift from a cryptocurrency billionaire based in Thailand. Separately, opposition lawmakers are pushing for a second inquiry into donations received from George Cottrell, a crypto-gambling entrepreneur with an aristocratic background who previously served time in a U.S. prison for fraud.

Farage has denied any wrongdoing, but the financial scrutiny has fueled widespread speculation about his political future. He had been viewed by some as a front-runner to become prime minister following the next national election.

His anti-immigration party holds only eight of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, yet Reform UK consistently outperforms both the ruling Labour Party and the main opposition Conservatives in opinion polls.

The party scored a major victory in local and regional elections in May, a result that contributed to the removal of Prime Minister Keir Starmer by members of his own Labour Party.

However, Reform UK has now lost three back-to-back special elections it had hoped to win, which may signal a softening in the party’s support. The most recent defeat came at the hands of Labour’s Andy Burnham, who is expected to succeed Starmer as prime minister within the coming weeks.

Parliamentary standards commissioner Daniel Greenberg is leading the investigation into the donation Farage received from Christopher Harborne, a British businessman who lives in Thailand. Farage has said the money was a personal gift used to cover security costs and that it was given before he was elected to the House of Commons.

Should investigators find that Farage violated parliamentary rules, he could face suspension. A suspension lasting 10 or more days would give voters in his Clacton constituency in eastern England the ability to call for a special election to fill his seat.

Such an outcome would deal a significant blow to a party whose rapid rise mirrors the nationalist and anti-immigration political style associated with Trump. Farage has made the issue of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats a centerpiece of his message — describing the situation as an invasion — though critics accuse him of inflaming public fears rather than addressing the issue constructively.

KYIV, Ukraine — Ukraine’s Security Service announced Tuesday that the body of Ukrainian citizen Anastasiia Berezovska has been found. Berezovska had been sought by authorities in Monaco in connection with a bombing that targeted Ukrainian business tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev.

The Security Service, known by its Ukrainian abbreviation SBU, revealed that an officer from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency admitted to killing Berezovska with the assistance of a former law enforcement officer. The suspect claimed he acted on his own, without the knowledge or approval of his superiors.

The original bombing occurred on June 29 and reportedly targeted Yermolaiev, who has ties to Russia, along with members of his family. Three people were hurt in the blast, among them a child. The explosion sent shockwaves through Monaco — the glamorous coastal enclave known for its wealthy residents, tax advantages, royal family, and Formula 1 Grand Prix race. Monaco’s head of state, Prince Albert II, called the explosion “an odious act” and confirmed that all public services had been deployed to maintain security.

Interpol had previously identified 39-year-old Berezovska as the primary suspect in the bombing, issuing a Red Notice requesting her arrest on charges of attempted murder, placing an explosive device in a public area with criminal intent, and criminal conspiracy. On Tuesday, Interpol said it had no immediate statement to offer and noted that the Red Notice would remain active on its website until Monaco formally requested its removal.

SBU investigators zeroed in on the two suspects after uncovering evidence that they had repeatedly sent cryptocurrency and bank transfers to Berezovska. During searches of the former law enforcement officer’s home, authorities also discovered what the SBU described as a basement that resembled a torture chamber.

Berezovska’s body was located during a crime scene reconstruction based on one of the suspect’s accounts. She had suffered gunshot wounds to the head, and investigators recovered spent pistol casings at the location, according to the SBU.

Both men are now in custody, facing suspicion of premeditated murder.

The SBU said it has provided all relevant information to investigators in Monaco and is continuing efforts to identify who ordered and organized the original assassination attempt.

ANKARA — NATO will establish a shared fleet of Airbus A400M military transport planes and expand its existing tanker aircraft program, Secretary General Mark Rutte announced Tuesday on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Ankara.

Rutte made the announcement at a defense industry event where allied nations unveiled arms agreements worth billions of dollars — a show of force meant to demonstrate that European members are taking seriously U.S. calls to increase defense spending ahead of the summit, which began Tuesday evening with President Donald Trump in attendance.

“It is about air power, which is essential to strengthen our deterrence and defence,” Rutte said.

The existing tanker program, known as the MRTT project, currently operates nine A330 aircraft — planes that can also serve as troop or passenger transports — based out of Eindhoven in the Netherlands. Adding a tenth aircraft moves the alliance closer to filling gaps created after the United States reduced its contributions to NATO. The alliance is working toward eventually growing that fleet to 12 aircraft. Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden all take part in the program.

While the U.S. has not publicly detailed the extent of its cutbacks, a military source indicated the reductions span refueling planes, fighter jets, drones, and naval vessels. Trump has repeatedly criticized European nations for depending too heavily on American military support through NATO.

Airbus, the manufacturer behind both the A400M airlifter and the A330 jet that serves as the basis for the tanker, said the new shared A400M fleet would include Belgium, Britain, France, Spain, Turkey, Croatia, and Poland.

The news is a welcome development for the A400M program, which was originally designed to address Europe’s shortfall in military cargo and troop transport capabilities to difficult terrain. The aircraft has struggled to attract export customers, raising questions about its long-term viability. Airbus had previously issued warnings to investors about the program’s future, though the company softened that language earlier this year.

According to a spokesperson, the new shared pool would initially draw from aircraft already in service, followed by planes currently in production. The spokesperson added that the arrangement could eventually lead to new aircraft orders, though it was too early to predict how many planes might be ordered or when.

A Paris appeals court issued its ruling on Tuesday, upholding the embezzlement conviction of National Rally leader Marine Le Pen while reducing her ban on seeking elected office — a decision that could allow her to compete in France’s 2027 presidential race.

Under the court’s ruling, Le Pen will serve a three-year prison sentence, with two of those years suspended. She will also be required to wear an electronic ankle monitoring device for one year.

The decision also opens the door for her political protégé, 30-year-old Jordan Bardella, who would likely become the anti-immigrant National Rally’s top presidential contender if Le Pen ultimately chooses not to run.

Le Pen’s path to the presidency had been blocked since March 2025, when she was handed a five-year ban from public office along with a four-year prison sentence. That original verdict came after she was found guilty of embezzling more than 4 million euros — roughly $4.6 million — from the European Parliament.

The court determined she had participated in a scheme that diverted EU funds intended to pay parliamentary staff, channeling that money instead to employees of the National Rally party. Le Pen denied any wrongdoing and pursued an appeal.

Her attorney, Rodolphe Bosselut, responded cautiously to Tuesday’s ruling. “We are considering the decision as a whole, we will issue a further statement. We are partially satisfied,” he said.

Critics on the political left were quick to condemn the situation. Left-wing Ensemble deputy Clementine Autain pointed to what she called hypocrisy within the National Rally. “Whilst the RN blames immigrants for all society’s ills and dreams of imposing ever-harsher penalties for petty crime, it is fleecing taxpayers… The RN leader has vowed that she will not be able to campaign under these conditions. Will she keep her word?” she said.

Benjamin Lucas-Lundy, coordinator of the left-wing political group Generation.s, went further, arguing Le Pen should no longer hold her current legislative seat. “She has been found guilty by the courts of theft… I don’t think she should even be sitting as a Member of Parliament here in the National Assembly any longer,” he stated.

Canada is holding off on naming the founding members of its proposed global defence bank until more countries agree to come on board, the country’s foreign minister said Tuesday.

Foreign minister Anita Anand spoke with reporters on the sidelines of the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara, Turkey, where she said negotiations are continuing with multiple nations over the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, known as the DSRB.

The initiative, backed by Mark Carney’s government, had originally been targeting roughly 10 founding national supporters to be revealed at the NATO gathering. However, Anand signaled that Canada wants a broader coalition before making any official announcement.

“We want more and more countries to come on board before we put something out,” Anand said, adding that the project still enjoys a “critical mass” of support — a phrase that echoes earlier statements made by Carney himself.

The DSRB is designed to raise as much as £100 billion — approximately $134 billion U.S. — in affordable financing to strengthen the defence capabilities of allied nations. The bank is pursuing a triple-A credit rating, which would allow it to offer low-interest loans for defence projects, especially for countries and companies that currently have difficulty accessing cheaper funding.

The bank also intends to provide loan guarantees to private financial institutions to help scale up the defence industry.

The future of the project remains uncertain without wider national participation, as countries are being asked to contribute startup capital. Anand declined to identify which nations are currently in talks, but she did highlight Luxembourg as having made considerable effort — noting it is currently the only other publicly confirmed supporter of the initiative.

“We’re still in discussions with many of these countries. Of course, we have a critical mass of countries now, but the more the merrier as it is in terms of ensuring that SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) have the capabilities to ramp up,” Anand said.

The NATO summit, which Carney is attending, runs through Wednesday.

PARIS — A French appeals court issued a mixed ruling Tuesday in the case of Marine Le Pen, upholding her conviction on charges of misusing European Union funds while at the same time reducing the duration of her ban from holding elected office.

The decision could potentially reopen the door for the far-right political figure to pursue the French presidency in 2027 — but significant hurdles remain.

While the court shortened the office ban, it also handed down a three-year jail sentence. Two of those years were suspended, but Le Pen was ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitoring device for one full year — a condition that would make running a presidential campaign both politically and logistically challenging.

The ruling leaves considerable uncertainty about whether Le Pen will ultimately seek France’s top political office in the upcoming election cycle.

MANILA — Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte showed no signs of backing down Tuesday as she briefly appeared at the Senate ahead of the second day of her impeachment trial, telling reporters she would emerge from the proceedings beaten but unbroken.

“In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed,” Duterte said to reporters before meeting with her legal team. She wore a green polo shirt, a color widely associated with her political identity.

The high-profile trial carries enormous stakes — its outcome could determine whether Duterte is eligible to seek the presidency in 2028. Rather than attend the proceedings herself, she allowed her attorneys to represent her inside the Senate chamber.

Duterte is the daughter of former President Rodrigo Duterte, who is currently being held in The Hague where he faces a separate trial related to his administration’s deadly anti-drug campaign.

On Tuesday, prosecutors shifted their focus to allegations that the vice president made violent threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the first lady, and a former House Speaker. Prosecutor Lorenz Defensor argued that these statements went far beyond ordinary criminal behavior and rose to the level of a constitutional violation.

To support their case, prosecutors called a National Bureau of Investigation official as their first witness to verify the authenticity of video recordings capturing Duterte making the alleged remarks.

One video from October 2024 showed Duterte expressing a desire to behead Marcos. A second clip, recorded at a November 2024 press conference, showed her claiming she had arranged for an assassin to kill Marcos, the first lady, and a former House Speaker if anything were to happen to her.

In the video, Duterte is heard saying: “I have talked to a person. I said, ‘if I get killed, go kill BBM (Marcos), (First Lady) Liza Araneta and (House Speaker) Martin Romualdez.’ No joke, no joke. I said, ‘do not stop until you kill them.’”

Defensor stressed to the senator-judges that the alleged threats carried special significance given who made them. “What makes these threats especially sinister is that they do not come from an ordinary citizen, but from the vice president herself,” he said. “Her words were neither accidental nor taken out of context. They were uttered publicly with the intention to be taken seriously.”

The charges related to the alleged threats are just one part of a broader impeachment complaint against Duterte. She also faces accusations of misusing public funds, accumulating unexplained wealth, bribery, and corruption. Duterte has denied all wrongdoing and characterized the impeachment proceedings as politically driven.

Marcos and Duterte — both members of two of the Philippines’ most prominent political families — ran together and won the 2022 election, but their once-united alliance eventually fractured into a deep and public rivalry.

Duterte’s defense team has argued that the impeachment effort is an attempt to undo the will of more than 32 million Filipino voters who elected her to the vice presidency.

NATO has unveiled a roughly $4.5 billion plan to acquire up to 10 Saab GlobalEye surveillance aircraft, choosing the Swedish option over a competing offering from American aviation giant Boeing to replace its fleet of aging early warning planes.

The announcement came Tuesday during a NATO summit in Ankara, where Secretary-General Mark Rutte explained that swapping out the alliance’s Cold War-era Airborne Warning and Control System — commonly known as AWACS — for a newer platform built on smaller business jets would better address modern threats, including drone swarms.

“This will ensure we keep NATO’s… surveillance and early warning capability strong and credible for decades to come,” Rutte said at the summit event.

With U.S. President Donald Trump having repeatedly pushed NATO allies to increase defense spending and purchase more American-made equipment, Rutte was careful to highlight the program’s international roots. The GlobalEye system is installed aboard Bombardier Global 6500 business jets.

“Like its predecessor, GlobalEye is a transatlantic programme, delivered by European and Canadian industries with essential contributions from US industries. It is a real success story, again, made in NATO,” Rutte told those gathered.

Trump has frequently criticized European allies for depending too heavily on the United States for their defense needs while pushing them to buy more U.S. military hardware. He has also, at various points, threatened to withdraw from the alliance altogether.

The GlobalEye goes up against Boeing’s E-7 Wedgetail, an aircraft built on the 737 platform that is designed for early warning and battlefield command-and-control functions.

NATO described the GlobalEye as a mission-proven system, though it offered no further details on that characterization.

Reuters had reported last Thursday that NATO was set to replace its Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS jets with Saab’s GlobalEye. The alliance is now entering formal contract negotiations with Saab following the public announcement of its preliminary selection.

Saab’s chief executive, Micael Johansson, put the total value of the deal at up to $4.5 billion and said the company could begin delivering aircraft in 2030, provided an agreement is reached in the near term. He noted that a final price has not yet been set, but estimated each aircraft would cost somewhere between approximately $400 million and $450 million.

The total number of planes to be ordered had been a point of debate, with planners weighing whether to pursue a more costly version of the aircraft capable of being refueled while airborne. A source with knowledge of the situation said the GlobalEyes would not initially include that feature, though it is expected to be incorporated through a future upgrade.

NATO’s current AWACS fleet does have in-flight refueling capability — a feature that has proven particularly useful during operations near Ukraine.

CHISINAU — Moldovan President Maia Sandu has tapped Deputy Prime Minister Eugeniu Osmochescu, a former international financial official, to serve as the country’s acting prime minister. The appointment, formalized through a presidential decree, takes effect Wednesday.

Osmochescu steps into the role following the sudden departure of Alexandru Munteanu, who resigned last Friday. Munteanu stated that he was no longer able to perform his duties in a manner consistent with his personal convictions.

In addition to serving as deputy prime minister, Osmochescu currently holds the position of minister of economic development and digitalization. Before entering government service, he worked at the International Finance Corporation, the private sector division of the World Bank.

Munteanu offered his support for his successor in a Facebook post, writing: “I would like to thank him for taking on this responsibility and wish him every success in this mission.”

President Sandu had told reporters on Friday that she planned to consult with parliamentary factions during the week to identify a replacement for Munteanu. Her pro-European Party of Action and Solidarity holds a majority in the country’s 101-seat parliament.

Munteanu had originally been appointed following September’s parliamentary election, in which the party decisively defeated a Russia-leaning rival to secure a new governing mandate.

On Wednesday, Osmochescu will preside over a government meeting. The current cabinet is continuing to function in a caretaker capacity until parliament formally appoints a new government.

Ukrainian drone forces carried out overnight strikes against eight tankers belonging to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet,” hitting the vessels as they transported fuel to Crimea, Kyiv’s military announced on Tuesday.

In a statement posted to Telegram, Ukraine’s drone forces said each of the targeted ships was operating under international sanctions and had a deadweight capacity of approximately 7,000 tons. The strikes took place in the Sea of Azov.

The attack followed a similar operation just one day earlier, when the same Ukrainian forces reported striking two additional shadow-fleet vessels in the same general area.

Ukraine has intensified its campaign against Crimea’s logistics and energy infrastructure over recent weeks, contributing to fuel shortages and a declared state of emergency in the territory. Crimea is considered vital to Russia’s ongoing war effort against its smaller neighbor — a conflict now entering its fifth year.

Russia seized Crimea in 2014 and later launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Striking the enemy’s naval logistics complicates the supply of fuel and ammunition necessary to support the activities of Russian troops, primarily in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea,” the drone forces said in their statement.

The unit also released black-and-white drone footage appearing to show ships being struck and catching fire. Reuters was unable to independently confirm the claims.

Ukraine has long pressed its international allies to take stronger action against vessels that circumvent sanctions by carrying Russian oil to global markets.

Ukrainian forces have previously used sea drones to disable tankers hauling Russian oil through the Black Sea, as part of a broader strategy to cut into Moscow’s revenue. A separate series of unexplained explosions has also occurred aboard tankers that docked at Russian ports. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in those incidents, though maritime security sources believe Ukraine is responsible.

President Donald Trump arrived in Ankara, Turkey on Tuesday to join fellow NATO leaders at a high-stakes summit, where the alliance is working to convince him that member countries are genuinely stepping up their military capabilities — even as American attention increasingly shifts away from Europe and toward Asia.

Trump has been openly critical of NATO’s ability to operate without American leadership, has moved to pull U.S. troops out of Europe, and has raised questions about whether the United States would actually defend an ally if attacked. He has also expressed frustration that some NATO members refused to participate in the Iran war, which he launched alongside Israel without consulting the alliance, and have not helped to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

The two-day gathering in Ankara is being built around the theme of a stronger Europe within a stronger NATO, featuring a showcase of military projects valued at billions of dollars designed to demonstrate that allies are turning their increased defense budgets into real military capability.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte spoke with energy at a defense industry forum on the sidelines of the summit, calling the spending “money well spent.” The event, billed as NATO’s “big reveal,” featured a slick video presentation and techno music as officials made the case to government ministers and defense industry representatives.

Trump, who has called NATO a “paper tiger” that would fall apart without American arms and leadership, was scheduled to first meet with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan at the presidential compound. Erdoğan, a close ally of Trump, is hosting this year’s summit.

One major announcement came from Sweden, where Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson revealed that Swedish manufacturer Saab will supply up to 10 new GlobalEye surveillance aircraft to a ten-nation consortium. The deal replaces NATO’s fleet of 14 AWACS radar planes, which are roughly 50 years old. NATO itself does not own weapons — those belong to the 32 member nations — but it does operate that aging surveillance fleet along with some newer drones.

The Netherlands also announced new defense investments on the summit’s opening day. The Dutch defense ministry said it is partnering with the United Kingdom to purchase new amphibious transport vessels and working with other NATO allies to replace the old AWACS planes. The Netherlands is also taking a leading role in a European effort to jointly produce and maintain American-made weapons, including Stinger, Amraam, and PAC-3 missiles.

Dutch Defense Minister Dilan Yesilgöz-Zegerius said the Netherlands and its European partners “are investing much more in strengthening European defense” with additional funding “but also by working together smarter.”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz emphasized before departing Berlin that his country has doubled its defense spending since 2022. He said the effort is not being made “to do anyone a favor” but because it is “necessary for our defense, for our security.” Merz described Russia as “a serious threat” that is “testing our determination every day,” and said the Ankara summit “should send the message that we are building a more European NATO so that NATO can remain trans-Atlantic.”

When asked last month what allies could do to get back in his good graces, Trump gave a simple answer: “Just be loyal.”

From Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would be watching the NATO summit closely. He dismissed Ukraine’s calls for more air defense weapons, saying additional arms deliveries would not stop Russia from achieving what the Kremlin calls the goals of its “special military operation.” On the subject of a peace settlement, Peskov said Russia “maintains contact with the Americans via working-level channels” and expressed hope that American efforts to move toward peace “will ultimately succeed.” He added that hostilities could end once Kyiv “demonstrates goodwill and shows a readiness to make those important decisions that need to be made.”

In a sign of political tensions within some alliance members, the leaders of the Czech Republic traveled to Turkey separately. Prime Minister Andrej Babiš flew with his foreign and defense ministers, while President Petr Pavel departed on his own later. Babiš, whose ANO movement won big in an October election, leads a governing coalition that has moved away from strong support for Ukraine. The Czech defense budget currently falls below NATO’s target, coming in at under 1.8% of GDP. Babiš said Tuesday that the government plans to meet the minimum 2% target next year but does not plan to go beyond that.

President Pavel, a retired army general, is a strong supporter of Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invasion — a position at odds with his government. The government initially refused to include Pavel in the summit delegation, only relenting after the country’s Constitutional Court stepped in.

Turkish police detained more than 20 protesters near a demonstration in central Ankara against the NATO summit. Officers used riot shields to block journalists from filming and photographing the protest, which was organized by supporters of left-wing political parties. A legal association reported that 22 students affiliated with the Turkish Workers’ Party and three lawyers were taken into custody.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan used the summit’s opening day to warn against restrictions on defense industry cooperation among NATO members. In a social media post, he said trade barriers “undermine efficiency and slow response” and have become “strategic liabilities.” The United States and several European nations have imposed limits in recent years on selling military and dual-use goods to Turkey. “European defense initiatives must remain fully inclusive of all NATO Allies,” Fidan stated.

Kazakhstan’s constitutional court announced Tuesday that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is free to pursue another term leading the Central Asian nation, which is a major producer of energy and minerals, under a new constitution that officially took effect last week.

The decision essentially gives Tokayev a fresh start on term limits. He had previously been restricted to one seven-year term beginning in 2022, when he oversaw an earlier overhaul of the country’s constitution.

Notably, Tokayev himself asked the court to weigh in on the matter. He first came to power in 2019 as the chosen successor of Kazakhstan’s founding president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The new constitution was drafted and ratified within just a few weeks earlier this year, immediately fueling widespread speculation about what it could mean for Tokayev’s political future.

While the updated constitution still caps the presidency at a single seven-year term, the court determined that terms served under the previous constitution would not count toward that limit.

What remains unclear is whether Tokayev will be required to stand for election in a snap vote, or whether he will continue serving under the terms of the old constitution through 2029.

Among other changes, the new constitution establishes a vice-presidency and consolidates parliament into a smaller, single-chamber body. Snap parliamentary elections are already set for August 23.

Before becoming president, Tokayev had a long career as a Soviet diplomat and senior United Nations official, and also served as Kazakhstan’s prime minister and foreign minister prior to succeeding Nazarbayev in 2019.

Tokayev distanced himself from his former mentor in January 2022, following a wave of nationwide unrest that left hundreds of people dead. Tokayev characterized the violence as a coup attempt orchestrated by loyalists of Nazarbayev.

MOSCOW — The Kremlin announced Tuesday that Russia intends to keep a close watch on what comes out of the NATO summit taking place in Turkey, while noting that a string of hostile remarks about Russia had set the tone leading up to the event.

NATO leaders have convened in Ankara for a two-day gathering on Tuesday and Wednesday. The meetings come as U.S. President Donald Trump has pushed European allies to increase their defense spending, and following months of tension across the Atlantic stemming from disputes over the Iran war and Greenland.

“This is an event that is of great interest, including to us. Of course, we will be monitoring all the news and information coming out of Ankara,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov noted that numerous statements about Russia had surfaced in the days before the summit. “To our regret, these were not statements about constructive engagement and dialogue, but rather statements of a confrontational nature,” he said, declining to offer specifics.

On Monday, President Trump said he planned to address the ongoing war in Ukraine during the summit, describing a resolution to the more than four-year conflict as “getting closer than people realise.”

Peskov expressed hope that U.S. “efforts to steer the entire situation onto a peaceful track (would) ultimately succeed,” adding, “At the very least, we, as the Russian President has repeatedly said, remain open to this.”

NEW DELHI — A court in India has ordered the country’s federal government to restore the X social media account belonging to the youth Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), more than a month after it was taken offline. The account had attracted approximately 200,000 followers in just a matter of days after its creation, according to the party’s founder and a lawyer connected to the case.

The government had defended its decision to block the account in court, arguing that content posted there could have sparked disorder during a national medical college entrance examination. That exam had to be held again after its question papers were leaked to the public.

The CJP has been staging sit-in demonstrations for the past two weeks, calling on the education minister to step down in response to the exam scandal. While its main account remained blocked, the party continued reaching its X audience through a secondary account.

The Delhi High Court issued its order after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government indicated it had no opposition to restoring the account, according to the lawyer who spoke with Reuters.

CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke celebrated the development on X, calling it a “big win” for the party, the movement, and for “free speech and digital rights.”

However, as of Tuesday evening, the account was still showing as restricted within India, with its page displaying a message stating it had been withheld “in response to a legal demand.”

The CJP, which describes its membership as representing “the lazy, the unemployed, and the chronically correct,” boasts close to 22 million followers on Instagram. By comparison, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party — which has labeled the CJP part of “an anti-India gang” — has just over 9 million followers on the platform.

MANILA, Philippines — Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte declared Tuesday that she will emerge battered but defiant as her high-profile impeachment trial gets underway before the country’s Senate.

Duterte, who has publicly stated her intention to run for president in mid-2028, was impeached by the House of Representatives in May. That legislative body is largely controlled by allies of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The 48-year-old lawyer and politician has called the charges against her politically motivated.

The trial, broadcast on television and conducted before the 24-member Senate serving as an impeachment court, began Monday.

On Tuesday, senators took up the first of four major charges against her. That charge accuses Duterte of threatening during an online news conference in November 2024 to arrange the killings of Marcos, his wife, and then-House Speaker Martin Romualdez through an unidentified individual — a threat she allegedly made as tensions between her and the president’s camp were intensifying.

Video evidence presented at the trial showed Duterte making the threat and emphasizing that she was serious. She also stated in the footage that the person she asked to carry out the killings had agreed to her plan.

A separate video shown during the proceedings captured the vice president saying she wanted to cut off the president’s head.

Duterte briefly appeared at the Senate building Tuesday in casual clothing and rubber shoes to meet with her legal team, but left before the trial resumed. Speaking to reporters outside, she declined to answer questions.

“In this bloodbath and bludgeoning, I will be bloodied but unbowed,” she told the gathered media.

In prior statements, Duterte has denied all allegations against her. The charges extend beyond the threat and include accumulating unexplained wealth, misappropriating confidential funds, corruption, bribery, and inciting sedition, though no specific details have been provided on those counts.

Duterte and Marcos ran together as a ticket in the 2022 elections, combining the political strength of two of the Philippines’ most powerful dynasties. That alliance, however, quickly unraveled after they took office.

Supporters of the vice president have accused Marcos and his inner circle of using the justice system to sideline her and her political allies in order to block her presidential ambitions.

Adding to the turmoil surrounding the trial, three senators who back Duterte have been removed from the political picture by separate legal troubles. Two were recently arrested and detained on alleged large-scale corruption charges, while a third went into hiding after the International Criminal Court issued a warrant for his arrest. That senator is accused of being a co-conspirator of former President Rodrigo Duterte — the vice president’s father — in alleged crimes against humanity.

Those charges relate to the killings of thousands of mostly low-income drug suspects during anti-narcotics crackdowns ordered by the former president between 2011 and 2019. Rodrigo Duterte, currently held by the ICC in The Hague, is scheduled to face trial on November 30.

Justice officials and state prosecutors have insisted the legal troubles facing the three senators are based on solid evidence and are entirely separate from the vice president’s impeachment proceedings.

Sara Duterte holds Marcos responsible for her father’s arrest last year and his subsequent transfer to ICC custody.

To secure a conviction, prosecutors must obtain at least 16 votes — two-thirds of the 24-member Senate. A guilty verdict would effectively end her presidential ambitions.

Even an acquittal would not guarantee her freedom from legal jeopardy. Anti-graft prosecutors are separately investigating criminal charges against her, including large-scale corruption, that mirror some of the impeachment allegations.

HONG KONG (AP) — A court ruling requiring a Chinese tea company to pay French luxury brand Louis Vuitton $1.5 million has set off a broader conversation about who truly owns traditional Chinese symbols and designs.

The controversy centers on a four-petal flower shape that appears in Louis Vuitton’s 130-year-old signature monogram. Chinese state media outlets and online commentators are now raising questions about whether that design was originally drawn from patterns that trace back to ancient China — and whether the company is effectively “monopolizing” those traditional motifs.

A court in Suzhou, a city in eastern China, recently sided with Louis Vuitton, finding that the logo used by Molly Tea — a chain known for jasmine and other floral-based drinks — was too similar to the French brand’s trademarked monogram. The court directed Molly Tea to pay 10.3 million yuan, equivalent to roughly $1.5 million, to Louis Vuitton. Local media reports carried copies or details of what they described as the official ruling.

Legal battles between international and Chinese brands over intellectual property are not unusual. Western companies, including American sneaker maker New Balance, have previously taken Chinese businesses to court over trademark and intellectual property disputes — and have sometimes won.

The Suzhou ruling quickly became a trending topic across Chinese social media platforms.

On Tuesday, the state-owned Beijing Daily posted a commentary on Weibo, a widely used Chinese social platform, suggesting the decision highlighted a failure to protect ancient Chinese heritage. “Why did a Chinese enterprise end up paying more than 10 million yuan in damages to a French company for using a design that resonated with the spirit of China’s centuries-old patterns?” the post read.

The Global Times, a state-run English-language publication, ran a headline stating: “Chinese netizens accuse LV of attempting to monopolize ancient motifs after lawsuit against tea brand.” The article described what it called “widespread frustration” among Chinese internet users who believe a foreign company now holds trademark rights over a design rooted in Chinese cultural history.

To illustrate the argument, the article included a photo comparing patterns found on a Tang Dynasty rosewood “pipa” — a type of traditional Chinese lute — placed side by side with Louis Vuitton’s monogram design.

Louis Vuitton is currently marking the 130th anniversary of its monogram, which was originally created in 1896. The brand has described it as a “universal symbol of creativity.” According to the website of its parent company LVMH, the monogram drew inspiration from neo-gothic ornamentation and the artistic movement known as Japonism.

Neither LVMH nor Molly Tea responded to requests for comment. As of Tuesday, Molly Tea — which was founded in 2021 — was still displaying the four-petal flower logo on its official website. The company has told local media that it intends to appeal the ruling.

BEIJING (AP) — A deadly landslide in northwestern China has killed five people and left 12 others still unaccounted for beneath the rubble, state media reported Tuesday.

The disaster struck just before 7 a.m., burying 33 people in Nanhe township, located in Longnan city within Gansu province, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

The exact cause of the landslide has not been determined. Images and footage shared online by state broadcaster CCTV showed three excavators alongside rescue workers digging through large mounds of dirt in an area surrounded by dense green vegetation. Weather conditions at the scene appeared calm, with clear skies visible in the footage.

As rescue efforts continued, local authorities moved residents out of the area as a precaution.

Defence contractors from across NATO member countries convened in Ankara on Tuesday for an industry forum held in conjunction with the alliance’s yearly summit, where a series of major defence deals were unveiled.

Here is a breakdown of the agreements announced:

SAAB

Swedish defence manufacturer Saab announced that NATO has entered into formal negotiations to acquire as many as 10 GlobalEye airborne early warning and control aircraft. The company’s CEO, Micael Johansson, told reporters that deliveries could begin as early as 2030, with each aircraft expected to carry a price tag of roughly $400 million to $450 million.

LOCKHEED MARTIN AND RHEINMETALL

Lockheed Martin and Rheinmetall signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly manufacture ATACMS short-range ballistic missiles on German soil — a historic move that would mark the first time this type of missile has ever been produced outside the United States.

NORTHROP GRUMMAN

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced that alliance members have agreed to purchase up to five MQ-4C Triton high-altitude surveillance drones from Northrop Grumman. Norway, Finland, Germany, and Denmark each signed a letter of intent for the acquisition.

AIRBUS

Secretary General Rutte also announced that NATO will establish a new strategic airlift fleet using Airbus A400M transport aircraft, while also adding one more plane to its current fleet of A330 MRTT tanker and transport aircraft.

ISAR AEROSPACE

German aerospace firm Isar Aerospace inked a deal with Canada’s Maritime Launch Services to secure access to launch facilities and services at Spaceport Nova Scotia, a move NATO says is aimed at strengthening the company’s readiness for orbital launches.

South African police are firmly denying any connection between the recent death of a Nigerian man in police custody and the ongoing surge of anti-migrant violence that has swept the country.

Authorities announced Tuesday that the man died late last month after collapsing while being taken into custody at a Pretoria police station — not as a result of any protest-related violence. He had been arrested on drug possession charges following an intelligence-led operation at his apartment, where drugs were reportedly found at the scene.

Nigeria’s foreign ministry raised alarms on Sunday, alleging the man had died during a police interrogation just two days before nationwide demonstrations against undocumented migrants took place. The ministry warned of unspecified consequences if attacks on Nigerian citizens were to continue.

South African police rejected those characterizations in a formal statement. “The South African Police Service strongly rejects attempts to link this incident to anti-illegal immigrant protests,” a police spokesperson said.

The spokesperson confirmed that paramedics were called to the scene but were unable to save the man. A police oversight watchdog has since been notified and is expected to launch a formal investigation into the circumstances of his death.

South Africa’s foreign ministry has called on Nigeria to submit any evidence it has regarding the man’s death, though officials have not directly addressed the specific allegations made by their Nigerian counterparts.

The anti-migrant protests, which have been ongoing for several months, have been largely peaceful but have at times turned violent, resulting in attacks on foreign nationals and the looting of shops owned by immigrants.

Human rights organizations argue that foreigners are being unfairly blamed for long-standing domestic issues such as high crime rates and widespread unemployment.

FRANKFURT — Europe’s central banking authority has given financial institutions across the euro zone until October 31 to develop concrete plans for defending against cyber threats powered by artificial intelligence, warning that such attacks could seriously damage confidence in the financial system and disrupt payment operations.

The move comes as regulators grow increasingly concerned about highly advanced AI models — including Anthropic’s Mythos — whose cyber capabilities have grown so sophisticated that access to some of them has already been restricted. Euro zone banks are currently among those excluded from accessing these tools.

In a letter sent directly to bank chief executives, the European Central Bank warned that recent developments carry serious consequences for the security and stability of banking technology infrastructure. “These developments have potentially profound implications for the confidentiality, integrity and resilience of banks’ information and communication technology (ICT) systems,” the ECB wrote.

Banks were instructed to make protecting internet-connected systems a top priority, including third-party software and open-source components. The ECB also called on institutions to speed up fixes for known vulnerabilities and strengthen their monitoring capabilities.

Beyond immediate cyber defenses, the ECB urged banks to update outdated technology systems, improve basic cyber hygiene practices, and strengthen their ability to manage crises, recover from incidents, and share information with other institutions.

To help banks focus on meeting the October 31 deadline, the ECB said it would postpone a separate information technology survey and may also scale back certain inspections and other oversight activities.

Alongside the ECB’s letter, the European Systemic Risk Board — an EU body responsible for issuing recommendations to other authorities — released its own warning, cautioning that large-scale cyber disruptions could erode public trust in financial institutions and potentially trigger bank runs against companies or even countries seen as vulnerable.

“The ESRB considers these developments to be a source of systemic risks to the financial system,” the board stated.

To put the threat in concrete terms, the ESRB outlined a range of possible scenarios, from a slow erosion of confidence in smaller banks to state-sponsored espionage and coordinated attacks targeting payment, clearing, and settlement systems. Officials also warned that misinformation campaigns could amplify the damage caused by such incidents.

The board noted that disruptions could spread rapidly through the financial sector due to the widespread use of shared technology providers and common software platforms across institutions.