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HAVANA — Cuba’s government has given the green light to its most sweeping market-oriented economic reforms in decades, but residents of the capital city are greeting the news with a complicated blend of hope, doubt, and sheer exhaustion.

Lawmakers approved a package of 176 measures following the Communist Party’s endorsement of the plan earlier in the week. The reforms include expanding opportunities for private enterprise, drawing in more foreign investment, allowing private involvement in banking, and opening certain state-owned companies to private shareholders. Government officials have emphasized that the changes are designed to preserve socialism — not dismantle it.

For many Cubans, the announcement signals something larger: that one of the world’s few remaining Soviet-style economies may be gradually shifting toward a model more like China or Vietnam, as a worsening crisis continues to take a toll on everyday life.

But on the streets of Havana, the mood was far from celebratory.

Olian Valdes, a 50-year-old resident, said he didn’t even hear about the announcement until hours after it was made — because power outages had left his home without electricity. “First, let’s see whether these measures are actually implemented,” he said. He added, “I don’t think it will make much difference for ordinary Cubans because they have nothing to invest. The gap between salaries and prices will remain the same.”

Cuba has been grappling with chronic shortages of food, fuel, and medicine for years. Conditions have deteriorated sharply in 2026 as fuel supplies have tightened and widespread blackouts have become increasingly common.

Not everyone was dismissive of the changes. Omara Oliva, 53, acknowledged that the current system has reached a breaking point. “We’re at a point where the current system simply isn’t working,” she said. “If new measures — even capitalist ones — help people eat better and improve their lives, then they are welcome.”

Despite the scale of the announcement, authorities have offered little clarity on how quickly the measures will go into effect, how they will be regulated, or who stands to benefit first. That lack of detail is particularly unsettling in a country where inflation has gutted wages and many households depend on money sent from abroad or income earned through the informal economy.

Leonardo Benitez, 61, summed up the cautious sentiment shared by many. “For now, we have to wait and see,” he said, noting that the reforms would only matter if they were applied fairly.

African and Caribbean nations gathered in Ghana this week to endorse a comprehensive reparations plan, demanding formal apologies, debt cancellation, and financial compensation from countries that benefited from the transatlantic slave trade.

The 19-point plan was adopted at the close of a three-day conference and represents a joint effort by the African Union and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Commission on Reparatory Justice. The document does not specify which individual countries should issue apologies.

Among its key provisions, the plan calls for the creation of a Global Reparations Fund, broad debt relief and cancellation for affected nations, and reforms to international financial institutions aimed at giving countries in the Global South a greater voice. It also demands the return of looted cultural artifacts and ancestral remains, climate justice funding, and targeted measures to address the specific suffering endured by African women and girls during slavery.

Additionally, the plan urges African nations to offer diaspora Africans pathways to citizenship and the right of return, while committing to preserving historic coastal forts and castles as memorials to the slave trade.

The conference builds on momentum from a United Nations resolution passed in March, which recognized transatlantic slavery as the “gravest crime against humanity.” That resolution passed with 123 votes in favor, though the United States, Israel, and 52 other nations — including European Union members and Britain — either voted against it or abstained. Both the EU and the U.S. expressed concern that the resolution could create a ranking system among crimes against humanity.

Historians estimate that at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported aboard European ships between the 15th and 19th centuries. Advocates argue that the lasting effects of that era — including systemic racism and economic inequality — demand a formal, coordinated response.

Previously, CARICOM and the African Union had each been developing their own separate reparations frameworks. The Ghana conference allowed both organizations to combine their work into a single unified document, which will now be presented at the next U.N. General Assembly.

Several heads of state addressed the conference, many striking a tone that distinguished between personal guilt and collective responsibility. Ghana’s President John Dramani Mahama told delegates: “None of us gathered in this hall today can be held personally responsible for the atrocities of the transatlantic slave trade. History does not ask us to inherit guilt, but it asks us to inherit responsibility.”

Leaders from Namibia, Liberia, Senegal, Barbados, and Sao Tome and Principe attended in person, along with the vice president of Equatorial Guinea.

French President Emmanuel Macron participated virtually from the Elysee Palace, saying that enslaved people “were torn from their homelands, deported, dehumanised, and treated as goods.” He cautioned that reparations should not be viewed “as an end point, or a cheque written to bring the story to a close.”

Last month, French lawmakers voted to formally repeal slavery-era laws that had classified enslaved people as “movable property” and permitted abuse and corporal punishment — though the legislation stopped short of including any reparations demands.

British Transport Police announced Friday they were responding to a two-train collision approximately 60 miles north of London, with multiple people reported injured in what authorities described as a major incident.

Video footage circulating on social media appeared to show the front end of one train tangled with the rear of another, with both trains remaining on the tracks following the crash.

The East of England Ambulance Service confirmed it dispatched several emergency resources to the scene, including an air ambulance, and asked members of the public to stay away from the area. The collision occurred on the railway line just south of Bedford.

Transport minister Heidi Alexander took to X to express her reaction, writing that she was “deeply concerned” by what was being reported about the collision.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service also confirmed its crews were on scene at the railway south of Bedford, echoing the call for the public to avoid the area.

Train operator East Midlands Railway announced it would be unable to operate any trains into or out of London for the rest of the day as a result of the crash. Thameslink also reported that all rail lines running between Luton and Bedford were blocked while the situation was being investigated.

WARSAW — Polish President Karol Nawrocki announced Friday that he has made the decision to revoke Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s Order of the White Eagle, the highest honor Poland can bestow upon an individual.

The move comes after Zelenskiy drew sharp condemnation from Poland when he renamed a Ukrainian army unit after nationalist insurgents who carried out massacres of Polish civilians during World War Two. The decision triggered widespread outrage across Poland.

From a concealed location somewhere in Bolivia’s Chapare forest region, former president Evo Morales is biding his time — and keeping a close eye on the chaos unfolding across the country.

For 50 days, highway blockades organized by labor unions and indigenous groups have brought Bolivia to a standstill. The disruptions have left at least 14 people dead and pushed the center-right government of Rodrigo Paz dangerously close to collapse.

In an exclusive video interview with Reuters, Morales said he has maintained regular communication with protesters. He acknowledged that the wave of public anger in the streets has “made him think” about re-entering politics — though he insisted he is not actively running for anything.

The blockades have severed critical roadways, leaving trucks stranded and cutting off supplies of fuel, food, and medicine to communities across the country.

The crisis began after Paz made a sudden decision to eliminate long-standing fuel subsidies in an effort to reduce Bolivia’s budget deficit. The country, a major lithium producer, has been struggling with a deepening dollar shortage and is in ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund over a potential rescue package.

Paz later adjusted fuel prices and reversed some unpopular land reform policies, but the blockades continued to grow as frustration expanded beyond fuel costs. Unions are now demanding wage increases, an end to fuel and dollar shortages, and Paz’s resignation.

Paz took office in November 2025 with the support of President Donald Trump, as part of a broader U.S. effort to expand its influence in the region. He has pointed the finger at Morales — who ruled Bolivia for nearly 14 years and remains a towering figure on the political left — for fanning the flames of the unrest.

Andres Arauz of the Center for Economic and Policy Research told Reuters that the government has leaned heavily on casting Morales as the villain in order to shift attention away from the underlying social problems. He said Paz is “trying to spin this and frame it as political confrontation, and thus basically wait it out.”

Morales is currently the subject of an arrest warrant on charges of trafficking a minor, tied to allegations that he fathered a child with a teenager in 2016 while serving as president. Morales denies any wrongdoing, calling the charges “fabricated” and driven by political motives.

In his Reuters interview, Morales rejected any suggestion that he is behind the protests, saying the “indigenous rebellion” is rooted in economic suffering.

“In my experience as a former president, if there is a conflict, it is the fault of the state if it is a social demand,” Morales said, adding that Paz had made “unfulfilled commitments.”

As Paz attempts to negotiate an end to the blockades, Morales’ presence looms large over the talks. On Wednesday, Paz opened dialogue with union leaders in La Paz, striking a conciliatory tone.

“We must build the nation, but we have to build it by accepting diverse ways of thinking,” Paz said, urging both sides to move past mutual distrust.

A Capital Under Siege

In La Paz, the high-altitude capital, daily life has taken on a grim character. Restaurants sit nearly empty, hospitals are running short on medications, and grocery store shelves in the meat section have gone dark after selling out.

“We feel deeply suffocated,” said Pamela Espada, a regional supermarket manager, explaining that she has resorted to flying meat in from Santa Cruz and waking at 2 a.m. to track down eggs.

The cost of basic foods has skyrocketed since the blockades began — tomato prices have doubled, and chicken has become 70% more expensive.

The economic ripple effects have been severe. Ernesto Olivares, who leads the Gastronomic Association of La Paz, said 42% of the city’s restaurants have been forced to shut down. “The exhaustion has reached its limits,” he said. “La Paz is being held hostage by politics.”

Hospitals have also been pushed to a breaking point. The blockades have made transferring patients between facilities nearly impossible.

Outside La Paz’s main public hospital, cancer patients and their families gathered to chant, “We want to live!”

Erika Alvarez, whose brother is fighting cancer in the mining city of Oruro — roughly 140 miles, or 225 kilometers, south of La Paz — was brought to tears. “They tell me he needs chemo, but in Oruro there is nothing, there are no medicines. With these political problems, with these blockades, I cannot bring my brother here,” she said.

Rosario Calle, president of the Association of Cancer Patients and Families, said she is aware of patients — particularly those in rural areas — who have already died after being unable to receive care in time.

Inside the capital, critical pain medications including morphine and tramadol are in short supply.

“They cry out and they don’t know how to soothe the pain,” Calle said. “What we want are solutions. Enough already.”

Morales has called on Paz to step down and allow new elections to be held. He warned that the standoff could reach a breaking point if his movement is shut out of any future vote — though he said he does not support such an escalation.

“If they don’t want it with votes, it’s with bullets,” he said.

CAIRO — A vessel packed with migrants attempting to reach European shores capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya last week, killing or leaving missing 51 people, according to a monitoring organization that announced the findings on Friday.

The shipwreck took place on June 12 in waters off the eastern portion of the North African country. Ten migrants managed to survive, according to the Abreen group, which monitors migrant activity in eastern Libya. Eleven bodies have been pulled from the water, while 40 additional people remain unaccounted for.

The Libyan coast guard and the Red Crescent, operating out of the eastern city of Tobruk, reported recovering bodies that began washing ashore over the previous 24 hours. Video shared by the coast guard showed rescue personnel carrying remains in white body bags to shore.

This disaster is the most recent in a string of deadly incidents along this stretch of the Mediterranean. The Libyan coastline serves as one of the primary launching points for migrants from North Africa who are attempting to reach Europe in search of a better life. Smugglers routinely pack these individuals onto small, dangerous watercraft, and thousands have lost their lives making the treacherous crossing.

Between January 1 and May 16 of this year, more than 800 migrants were reported dead or missing along the central Mediterranean route, according to the International Organization for Migration. The previous year saw that number exceed 1,300 along the same path.

Libya has become the primary transit hub for people fleeing conflict and poverty across Africa and the Middle East in recent years. The country descended into widespread instability following a NATO-backed revolt that overthrew and killed its longtime ruler, Moammar Gadhafi, in 2011.

Human traffickers have exploited that instability, moving migrants across Libya’s extensive borders — borders it shares with six different nations. These migrants are typically forced onto dangerously overcrowded boats, including inflatable rubber vessels, to make the sea crossing.

Those who are caught at sea and returned to Libya face detention in government-run facilities where abuse is rampant. According to investigators commissioned by the United Nations, conditions in these centers include forced labor, beatings, sexual violence, and torture — treatment that rises to the level of crimes against humanity.

Chile’s foreign ministry announced Friday that it is working alongside prosecutors investigating how Haitian children and teenagers entered the country through a family reunification program — after officials discovered that a number of those minors could not be found at the addresses listed for them.

The situation has attracted significant attention in Chile due to a dramatic increase in arrivals from Haiti in the early months of 2025, many of which took place on charter flights. The case has raised broader concerns about how immigration controls were applied within a program designed to bring families back together.

Earlier this week, Chile’s prosecutor’s office confirmed it had launched a formal investigation into the large-scale entry of Haitian minors that occurred last year.

The foreign ministry stated it has been turning over all documents requested by investigators. Foreign Minister Francisco Perez also dispatched a team to Haiti to examine how Chile’s consulate there was handling the reunification process.

According to local media reports, approximately 2,800 Haitians entered Chile under family reunification between January 1 and April 30 of last year. That figure represents the majority of the more than 3,200 Haitian arrivals who came in on temporary residence permits during that same window. Reports indicate that roughly half of those who entered under the family reunification category arrived on charter flights, most of which were linked to small Caribbean airlines.

Haitian migrants have been settling in Chile in growing numbers over the past decade, making Haitians one of the largest immigrant communities in the South American nation. In recent years, Chile has tightened its entry requirements, and President Jose Antonio Kast — who assumed office in March — has pledged to take a firm stance against unauthorized migration.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a stark warning Friday, giving Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko one week to remove equipment stationed in Belarus that Russia has been using to carry out attacks on Ukraine — and threatening Ukrainian action if the deadline is not met.

Zelenskiy stated that signal relay stations are positioned in two Belarusian regions along the Ukrainian border, and that Russian forces have been using them to help guide strikes against Ukrainian civilians. Reuters was unable to independently confirm those claims.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv, Zelenskiy challenged Lukashenko’s insistence that Belarus does not want to be part of the conflict. “What’s the point of saying he doesn’t want to be in the war? Let him remove this equipment, let him switch it off. I think a week will be enough for him to do that,” Zelenskiy said.

He then added a pointed warning: “If he doesn’t do it, we’ll do it” — offering no further details on what that would mean.

Over recent months, Zelenskiy has repeatedly cautioned that Russia intends to pull Belarus deeper into the ongoing war. Russian troops used Belarusian soil as a launching point when they first invaded Ukraine back in February 2022.

Last month, Lukashenko brushed aside suggestions that his country would become more deeply entangled in the conflict, though he did say Belarus and Russia would jointly defend themselves if faced with aggression. Earlier this week, in an interview with Al Arabiya television, Lukashenko said Ukraine had nothing to fear from Belarus and called on both sides to make compromises to bring the war to an end.

Meanwhile, Russia accused Ukraine this week of carrying out a fatal drone strike on a bus transporting Belarusian children through Russian territory. Ukraine denied any involvement. One woman accompanying the children was killed, and eight people were injured in the incident — among them six children. Belarus’ Foreign Ministry responded by demanding “complete explanations” from Ukraine.

Belarus has been Russia’s most steadfast ally throughout the war. Russian drones have been documented crossing Belarusian airspace while targeting Ukraine, and Belarus has announced the deployment of Russia’s Oreshnik intermediate-range hypersonic ballistic missile system. The two countries also conducted joint nuclear drills in May.

YEREVAN, Armenia — Multiple members of Armenia’s opposition were taken into custody on Friday, as a prominent pro-Russia political party asked the country’s Constitutional Court to nullify Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent election victory, claiming the vote was marred by violations and efforts to suppress opposition voices.

The opposition Strong Armenia party filed an appeal with the Constitutional Court seeking either to void the election results entirely or to require a second round of voting. The party also condemned the arrests of opposition figures, calling them an attack on democratic principles. Several additional opposition parties joined the effort, each accusing the ruling party of pressuring government workers to cast ballots in its favor and paying other voters for their support.

Armenian authorities have flatly denied any wrongdoing related to the election and have instead pointed the finger at the opposition, accusing them of being the ones who bribed voters.

The Constitutional Court is expected to decide within two days whether it will take up the case.

According to final tallies released by the Central Election Commission, the June 7 election saw Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party capture 49.7% of the vote — enough to form a new government as it continues efforts to pull Armenia away from Moscow’s orbit and build stronger relationships with Western nations.

International observers offered a mixed assessment of the vote. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) acknowledged that Armenian voters had a “genuine choice” at the ballot box, but also pointed out that the campaign was “highly confrontational” and plagued by allegations of violations that spawned numerous criminal cases against opposition candidates — creating a perception of “selective justice.”

Strong Armenia is headed by Armenian-Russian billionaire Samvel Karapetyan, a businessman who built his wealth in Russia and is currently under house arrest on charges of calling for the government to be overthrown — allegations he has dismissed as politically motivated. Armenian investigators had already issued six arrest warrants targeting Strong Armenia members the day before the election, accusing them of purchasing votes.

On Friday, additional opposition members were arrested on comparable voter bribery charges. Ruslan Barsegyan and Ashot Egiazaryan, both of whom ran for parliament under the Strong Armenia banner, were remanded into custody for two months while an official investigation proceeds. Asatur Kocharyan, affiliated with the opposition Armenia bloc, was placed under house arrest.

Former lawmaker and government critic Ruben Akopyan was also arrested Friday, and another opposition politician, David Kazinyan, had been jailed the day before on Thursday.

Strong Armenia characterized the wave of arrests as an “attempt to completely destroy democracy in the country.” In a formal statement, the party declared: “Investigative bodies, the prosecutor’s office, and the courts have been turned by this government into instruments for punishing and suppressing the opposition. We will not tolerate this and will fight to the end with the full force of the law and with determination.”

Analyst and former lawmaker Mikayel Zolyan offered a different interpretation, suggesting the arrests reflect the government’s determination to prevent the opposition from stirring up instability. “Pashinyan is showing pro-Russian forces that if they think they can manage to incite unrest and thereby achieve certain goals … then they shouldn’t even try,” Zolyan said.

Russia, which maintains a military base on Armenian soil, has cautioned that Yerevan’s pivot toward the West could bring serious political and economic fallout. President Vladimir Putin has drawn comparisons between Armenia’s direction and Ukraine’s path, in what many viewed as thinly veiled threats, suggesting that Russia’s conflict with Ukraine stemmed from Ukraine’s pursuit of an association agreement with the European Union.

In the weeks leading up to the election, Moscow imposed a series of trade restrictions on Armenia — including import bans on flowers, brandy, wine, and various fruits. OSCE election monitors described these measures as “direct pressure” on the Armenian vote, while Russia maintained the bans were tied to agricultural import rule violations.

Allies of a Belarusian opposition figure who went missing last year are calling on the U.S., Poland, the EU, and the U.N. to open investigations into his case, following a newly published report pointing to Russian involvement in his disappearance.

Anatol Kotau, 46, was last seen in August after traveling from his home in Poland to Turkey. Shortly after arriving, he went silent — no longer responding to messages from his wife.

A joint investigative report released this week by Deutsche Welle, the Belarusian Investigative Center, and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project found that Kotau boarded a yacht departing from the Turkish city of Trabzon. Also on board were two Russian men, a woman from Azerbaijan, and four crew members.

According to the report, the yacht was stopped in the Black Sea by the Russian coast guard, and Kotau was taken off the vessel. What led him to travel to Turkey — and why he would have gotten on a boat heading toward Russia, given his status as a Belarusian dissident — remains unknown.

Kotau has already been convicted in absentia in Belarus, a close Russian ally, and sentenced to 12 years in prison on charges of extremist activity and conspiracy to seize power — charges he denied.

Reuters has reached out to the Russian embassy in London for a response to the allegations of Moscow’s involvement.

Dmitry Bolkunets, an exiled activist who heads a group known as the Belarus Democratic Forum, sent a letter to U.S. National Security Adviser Andy Baker requesting help in locating Kotau. Reuters obtained a copy of the letter.

“The facts presented indicate that this was not a random event, but the result of a meticulously planned special operation,” Bolkunets wrote, characterizing it as a kidnapping carried out by Russia’s FSB security service.

Bolkunets also reached out to John Coale, an envoy for President Donald Trump who has been involved in negotiations with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko over the release of political prisoners. Coale replied that he would bring up the matter with authorities in Minsk.

Additional appeals were directed to Poland’s prime minister and president, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, and the U.N. Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

Kotau’s wife, Anastasia, told Reuters she is hopeful the appeals will lead to a serious investigation by both the U.S. and Poland, where her husband had been living under refugee status.

DAKAR, Senegal — Gunfire and explosions tore through Niger’s primary international airport recently, serving as the latest indicator that armed extremist groups are shifting their focus toward cities and urban areas across Africa’s Sahel region as they battle for territory and influence, according to analysts.

The jihadi organization JNIM, which has ties to al-Qaeda and is considered the most powerful militant group operating in the Sahel — the vast stretch of land just south of the Sahara desert — has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s assault on Diori Hamani International Airport in Niamey. The attack resulted in the deaths of 11 soldiers and two civilians.

This was actually the second time this year that the airport has come under attack. The facility is considered a critical strategic location, functioning as the command center for Niger’s ruling military government and housing the majority of the country’s air force, drones, and aircraft. It also serves as headquarters for a regional military alliance uniting forces from Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.

Back in January, the Islamic State group’s Sahel Province, known as ISSP, claimed credit for a similar strike in which gunmen on motorcycles stormed the airport, targeting high-value drone equipment. These attacks on Niger, unprecedented at this scale in recent memory, come alongside a major raid and an ongoing fuel blockade carried out by al-Qaeda in and around Mali’s capital city of Bamako.

Both al-Qaeda-affiliated fighters and those backed by the Islamic State group — rival factions with competing visions for the region — began ramping up their operations last year as they each seek to expand their foothold in what has become one of the world’s most active terrorism hotspots.

Ibrahim Yahaya Ibrahim, who serves as deputy project director for the International Crisis Group think tank, noted that the recent wave of attacks signals a broader strategic shift. Militant groups are no longer limiting themselves to isolated, under-policed rural communities — they are now increasingly setting their sights on urban areas.

The three neighboring countries of Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali sit at the center of this militant activity. All three are currently governed by military juntas that took power through coups, driven in large part by frustration with Western partners and elected governments.

All three nations have since pivoted away from Western allies and toward Russia as their primary security partner. French and American military forces have pulled out of the region, while Russian military personnel have taken their place.

Ibrahim noted that while Thursday’s attack was less significant in scale than the January strike, it still carries weight for JNIM’s broader strategy. “JNIM in Niger is trying to mark its territory. This is a message to the government but also to IS,” he said, referring to the Islamic State group.

Niger’s geographic position makes it especially valuable to these competing factions. The country shares borders with Mali and Burkina Faso to the west — where JNIM holds its strongest presence — and with Nigeria and Chad to the south and east, where groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province, or ISWAP, are active. To the north, Niger extends deep into the Sahara toward Libya and Algeria.

Analysts are raising alarms that ISSP and ISWAP are working to use the border between Niger and Nigeria as a bridge to link the two organizations, potentially creating a connected extremist corridor across a massive stretch of African territory — something JNIM is actively working to prevent.

Wassim Nasr, a senior research fellow at the Soufan Center, described the situation bluntly. “Niger is a territory of competition between them,” he said. “If JNIM loses the upper hand in Niger against the Islamic State, it will jeopardize its upper hand in Mali and Burkina Faso. … You have an open space like the Wild West, where each is looking to mark its territory.”

A Toronto court delivered a guilty verdict Friday against Frank Stronach, the 93-year-old Austrian-Canadian billionaire who founded one of the world’s largest auto parts companies, convicting him of sexual assault and indecent assault against two women in incidents that took place decades ago.

Stronach had originally faced 12 charges stemming from allegations made by seven different complainants, and he entered a not guilty plea to all of them.

Ontario Superior Court Justice Anne Molloy handed down the guilty findings on two of those charges, each related to a separate complainant.

Stronach built his fortune by launching auto parts giant Magna out of his garage in 1957, eventually becoming one of Canada’s wealthiest individuals. He later founded The Stronach Group, a business focused on horse racing.

He stepped down as Magna’s chairman in 2011, and the following year launched a political party in his home country of Austria.

The trial got underway in February. By the time closing arguments concluded in April, prosecutors had dropped one charge entirely and agreed Stronach should be acquitted on four others. Friday’s verdict found him guilty on two of the charges that remained.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iranian state media are celebrating what they call a “magnificent defeat” of the United States, and Tehran is wasting no time capitalizing on the moment — rushing to get oil flowing again under this week’s interim peace agreement and working to bring an end to Israeli military action in Lebanon.

But the Islamic Republic has taken serious hits of its own and faces a difficult road ahead. The country’s economy has been devastated by the conflict, mass protests shook the nation in January, and its supreme leader has not been seen publicly. Iran is now heading into nuclear negotiations with the U.S. after having been struck during two previous rounds of talks.

The agreement offers badly needed relief from international sanctions, though much of that relief depends on Iran scaling back its nuclear program — at the very least by diluting its stockpile of highly enriched uranium. That requirement has drawn sharp criticism from hard-line factions within Iran. Meanwhile, the U.S. is insisting Iran stop uranium enrichment altogether, a demand Tehran has rejected for decades.

Iran’s leadership is putting on a confident front, having held onto power through weeks of intense American and Israeli airstrikes. Officials also believe U.S. President Donald Trump is unlikely to restart the war, given Iran’s demonstrated capability to shut down the Strait of Hormuz and send shockwaves through the global economy.

“It’s too much to say that Iran has emerged a victor, but it could have been much worse,” said Farzan Sabet, an Iran expert at the Geneva Graduate Institute think tank. “I think that the real victory for Iran was … survival.”

As part of the interim agreement, the U.S. has agreed to issue waivers permitting Iranian crude oil exports. According to Lloyd’s List Intelligence, at least three state-owned Iranian oil tankers have already departed as the U.S. naval blockade was lifted.

Tracking firm TankerTrackers.com reported Friday that Iran has shipped nearly 18 million barrels of oil over the past five days, worth an estimated $1.44 billion.

Dozens of additional tankers carrying oil could soon leave from Kharg Island, Iran’s primary export hub on the Persian Gulf, which would put further downward pressure on global oil prices.

Benchmark Brent crude, which was trading above $110 per barrel last month, has dropped to around $80 since the agreement was reached. The average price of a gallon of gasoline in the United States has also fallen below $4 — a closely watched figure as midterm congressional elections approach.

Before the deal, international sanctions had forced Iran to move its oil through a so-called “shadow fleet,” selling primarily to China at discounted prices. The new arrangement allows Iran to pursue more buyers and command better rates.

That revenue will be critically important as Iran confronts the economic wreckage left by the war.

Since authorities lifted a months-long internet blackout, many Iranians have been sharing photos online of their bare refrigerators.

Basic food items like meat have become unaffordable for many families. The Iranian rial, which exchanged at 32,000 to the dollar at the time of the 2015 nuclear agreement with world powers, has now collapsed to more than 1.5 million to the dollar.

“The conflict is estimated to have cost at least one million Iranian jobs, with 20% of workforce losses tied to the state-imposed internet shutdown,” said Holly Dagres, a senior fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

“Ordinary Iranians, already struggling under systemic mismanagement and corruption as well as U.S. sanctions, have felt those burdens compounded by hyperinflation that has rendered the Iranian rial effectively worthless,” Dagres added.

The collapse of the rial triggered the nationwide demonstrations that spread across Iran in January, threatening the rule of then-Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran’s security forces responded with the deadliest crackdown in the country’s history, killing thousands.

The 86-year-old Khamenei and other senior leaders were killed in Israel’s opening strikes on February 28. State funeral ceremonies are scheduled for July 4 through 9, timed to coincide with the six-month mark of the protest crackdown. The government has organized continuous rallies since the war began as a show of strength.

More moderate voices inside Iran are urging the country to pursue the economic opportunities that negotiations could bring. In addition to a full lifting of sanctions, the agreement promises a $300 billion investment fund for Iran if a final deal with the U.S. is reached — though the source of that funding has not been made clear.

The key question is how far Iran’s new Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei — the son of the late leader — and establishment hard-liners are willing to compromise. In a statement carried by state media, he expressed support for the interim deal, saying the talks “will not mean accepting the enemy’s opinion,” while also acknowledging he held a “different viewpoint” without providing specifics.

The ongoing conflict in Lebanon has already put the broader agreement in jeopardy. Negotiations that were set to take place Friday in Switzerland were called off as fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants escalated — though the two sides did agree to halt hostilities by Friday.

Israel has stated it will maintain its military presence across large portions of southern Lebanon and continue operations against Hezbollah until the group no longer presents a threat. Hezbollah has refused to stop its attacks unless Israel withdraws its forces.

The interim U.S.-Iran deal — which neither Israel nor Hezbollah is party to — calls for an end to military operations on all sides and for Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity to be respected.

“The end of the war in Lebanon is an inseparable part of (the) complete end of the war,” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday. “And the end of the war also includes the end of the occupation.”

That stance leaves American negotiators with little room to maneuver, and Vice President JD Vance’s planned trip to Switzerland was subsequently postponed.

Looking at the broader negotiations, Iran appears to have succeeded in keeping two long-standing U.S. and Israeli demands off the table: discussions about its missile program and its backing of Hezbollah and other militant organizations.

On the nuclear front, Iran agreed to “downblend” its highly enriched uranium stockpile, addressing one of Washington’s primary concerns.

However, Raja News, a media outlet aligned with ultra-conservative hard-line factions, slammed that concession, claiming Iran had “given up its most important levers” — reflecting the intense internal pressure not to yield on other nuclear issues, particularly the broader enrichment program.

“I’m not very optimistic about the kind of second round of discussions that are going to focus on the nuclear issue,” Sabet said. “It’s not actually clear to me yet that those will go anywhere, at least this year.”

Speaking at the conclusion of a two-day European Union summit in Brussels, French President Emmanuel Macron declared Friday that France will not support the establishment of so-called “return hubs” — offshore detention facilities for migrants — in third countries.

Macron expressed doubt about whether such facilities have ever proven effective. “We are in favour of a more effective return policy, but … I have never seen a return centre in a third country that actually works,” he told reporters.

The French leader also raised concerns about whether these hubs are consistent with the values Europe was founded on. “I’m not sure that’s what our Europe is about. I’m not sure that these are the fundamental principles on which our Europe was built, and I don’t believe it’s effective either,” Macron said.

His comments came just days after the European Parliament approved a sweeping migration reform package aimed at speeding up deportations and permitting offshore detention centers. Critics of the measure argue it takes a harsh approach and undermines protections for those seeking asylum.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also voiced opposition to the return hubs during a press briefing Friday following the summit. However, he acknowledged that Spain’s position puts it in the minority among European nations. Sanchez argued the hubs would amount to a financial drain, saying they are “simply going to waste economic resources, and Europe doesn’t have many of those.”

What was once seen as one of the closest relationships between a European leader and U.S. President Donald Trump has taken a dramatic turn, with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni publicly calling out the American president over remarks she says were simply made up.

When Trump was inaugurated for his second term in 2025, Meloni stood out as the only European leader invited to attend the ceremony — a sign, many believed, of a special bond between Washington and Rome. A year and a half later, that relationship appears to have collapsed, leaving Meloni in a difficult position on the world stage, according to political analysts.

The friction between the two right-leaning leaders began building with the outbreak of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran, a conflict that hurt Europe’s economy and stirred strong anti-war feelings among the Italian public.

Footage from this week’s G7 summit in France seemed to suggest the pair had patched things up. But any hope of reconciliation was dashed on Friday when Trump told an Italian television channel that Meloni had “begged” him to take a photograph with her.

Meloni responded sharply, saying Trump had invented the story. She went even further, accusing him of showing more respect toward the West’s adversaries than toward its longtime allies.

“There is one thing he should remember: neither I nor Italy ever beg,” she said.

Her forceful response on social media drew praise from across Italy’s political spectrum, with most parties viewing Trump’s comments as a direct insult to the country. However, analysts cautioned that Meloni would now face pressure to take a firmer and more consistent stance toward Washington, rather than continuing to seek goodwill from an unpredictable president who has repeatedly broken with traditional diplomatic norms.

“Meloni cannot keep changing her approach depending on Trump’s unpleasant remarks. She must decide whether to adopt a less accommodating stance or, like other countries such as Canada, a firmer approach,” said Piero Ignazi, a political analyst at the University of Bologna.

Opposition figures wasted no time pointing out that the extraordinary public dispute exposed the failure of Meloni’s original plan to win Trump over through flattery and friendship.

“Have you finally understood that allying with those people means going against Italy? Enough with MAGA caps and enough with building bridges with Trump,” said former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who leads a centrist opposition group.

Trump’s 2024 election victory had initially seemed to open the door for Meloni to cultivate a unique relationship with a political ally who shared her ideological outlook, positioning herself as a go-between for Washington and a largely skeptical Europe. Trump had heaped praise on her at various points in 2024 and 2025, describing her at different times as “a fantastic leader and person,” “a beautiful young woman,” “a very successful politician,” and “an inspiration to all.”

When Trump rolled out sweeping tariffs against the European Union, Meloni stood apart from other European leaders by keeping her tone measured, arguing that preserving Western unity against shared threats was more important. She also refrained from publicly criticizing Trump even as fellow European leaders voiced frustration over his handling of the Ukraine-Russia war and his reluctance to press Israel on the Gaza conflict.

But the Iran war backed Meloni into a corner. Things deteriorated sharply in April when Trump lashed out at Pope Leo for criticizing the conflict. Meloni came to the pope’s defense, which prompted Trump to accuse her of lacking courage. She also refused U.S. military planes carrying weapons for the Iran war access to an airbase in Sicily, saying the Americans had not followed the required procedures.

“This was the original sin, in Trump’s eyes,” said Francesco Galietti of political risk consultancy Policy Sonar.

In the near term, Galietti noted that standing up to Trump — who polls very poorly in Italy — could give Meloni a boost at home. But he warned that the falling out threatens a key part of her political identity heading into elections scheduled for next year.

“This is like a horrible slap in the face,” Galietti said. “It completely jeopardizes her strategy that when we hold elections, the Italians will eventually choose her because she is the safest pair of hands.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has agreed to work with Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on a new push for peace in the ongoing war with Russia, according to a Ukrainian presidential adviser who spoke to reporters on Friday.

The two leaders crossed paths on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit held at the French resort of Evian-les-Bains on Wednesday. At the gathering, Zelenskiy called on allied nations to ramp up pressure on Russia to bring the more than four-year-old conflict to an end.

During their meeting, the two presidents explored what steps might breathe new life into diplomatic efforts. Lula put forward several ideas, including reaching out to the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council. Presidential communications adviser Dmytro Lytvyn shared details of the conversation with the press.

“They agreed that, in particular, based on such ideas and contacts, they would try to achieve something and later they would discuss it based on the results,” Lytvyn said.

Beyond the United States, France, and Britain — nations with which Ukraine already maintains close diplomatic ties — the permanent Security Council members also include Russia and China.

An earlier U.S.-backed mediation effort fell apart earlier this year after Russia demanded additional territorial concessions from Ukraine, a condition Kyiv has firmly rejected.

Zelenskiy has also called on U.S. President Donald Trump to re-engage in peace mediation and arrange a direct meeting between him and Russian leader Vladimir Putin — something Putin has said he is not willing to do at this time.

Speaking after the G7 meeting in Brazil, Lula noted that Zelenskiy had previously shown little interest in his diplomatic overtures, but that his stance had now changed. Lula told reporters at a news conference that he had already been in contact with all five permanent Security Council leaders and planned to reach out to them again.

Ukraine has been stepping up its diplomatic activity in recent weeks as the U.S.-led peace process stalled, partly due to the conflict involving Iran.

OSLO — Norway is cracking down on artificial intelligence in the classroom, announcing a near-total prohibition on the use of generative AI tools for young students while also placing tight limits on how older children can use the technology.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere made the announcement at a press conference Friday, saying that relying on AI puts younger children at risk of bypassing critical stages of their education.

“The most important thing in school is that our children learn to read, write and do mathematics,” Stoere said. He confirmed the new standards will go into effect when the school year begins in late August.

Under the new guidelines, students in first through seventh grade — ranging from ages 6 to 13 — should generally not be using AI at all. Teenagers in lower secondary school, between the ages of 14 and 16, may use AI tools carefully and only under the direct supervision of a teacher.

For students in upper secondary education, ages 17 to 19, the government says learning to use AI appropriately is encouraged so they are ready for higher education and the workforce.

The announcement comes as Norway has been grappling with a widespread drop in student test scores. In 2024, the government already banned smartphones from schools and restored greater authority to teachers to maintain classroom discipline.

Norway first began bringing computers into classrooms during the 1990s and later embraced tablets following the launch of the iPad in 2010, gradually moving away from traditional books and handwriting instruction.

On Friday, the government also said it plans to introduce legislation that would fund a return to printed books in classrooms, signaling a deliberate reversal of the shift toward digital tablets.

In April, Norway also announced plans to prohibit children from using social media until they reach age 16, joining a growing movement led by Australia and other countries aimed at limiting young people’s use of electronic devices.

KOHIMA, India — Thousands of people from the Naga community walked through driving rain on Friday, rallying together to demand justice for survivors of sexual violence following a wave of reported cases across the state.

Demonstrators gathered in Kohima, the capital of Nagaland, where speakers urged their community to stop staying quiet about sexual violence out of fear of social backlash and judgment.

Rosemary Dzuvichu, an adviser for the Naga Mother’s Association and a leading voice for women’s rights in the region, described the barriers survivors face: “Victims and victim families have faced doubts cast on victims, character assassination and often pressures and compromises on the victim to marry the rapist or perpetrator. Many cases have therefore remained unreported.”

Nagaland is a small, mountainous state that has long been regarded as one of the safest places for women anywhere in India. However, a string of sexual assaults over recent months has deeply unsettled that reputation.

Independent researcher Sophy Lasuh, who attended the rally alongside her sister, shared her thoughts on what the moment revealed about her community: “We need to reflect and ask ourselves what it means to be a close knit society when we mourn and grieve together without question, yet abandon survivors of sexual assault to fight alone, carrying a shame that actually belongs to the perpetrator.”

Sexual assault against women remains a widespread problem across India. According to the country’s National Crime Records Bureau, police logged 29,536 rape cases in 2024 — a number experts believe vastly understates the true scale of the problem, given the stigma attached to sexual violence and many victims’ distrust of law enforcement.

Standing in the rain with an umbrella, surrounded by fellow members of her tribe, Sanglishe Yimkhiumg, 45, made her feelings clear: “We do not want Nagaland to be this way.”

When Abed Hachem’s home was damaged during a 2024 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, he rebuilt it from scratch. Now, returning to his village of Qlaileh in southern Lebanon, he faces something far worse — almost nothing is left to rebuild.

Where his house once stood, there is only rubble. His garden is gone, replaced by dust and debris. Scattered among the ruins of what used to be his living room are children’s toys and broken furniture.

“Oh dear… Oh God. There was a building here… here… there was a building here,” said the 46-year-old father of three, gesturing toward the skeletal remains of his neighbors’ homes.

Among the few structures still standing in the village is the spire of the local mosque.

The current round of violence between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel in solidarity with its ally Iran, pulling Lebanon into the broader regional conflict. Israel answered with airstrikes and a ground invasion that took control of portions of southern Lebanon.

The toll has been devastating: more than 3,900 people have been killed, and roughly 1.2 million have been forced from their homes as Israeli evacuation orders emptied village after village across southern Lebanon. Israel has maintained that its military campaign targeted Hezbollah’s fighters and military infrastructure.

Now, as residents like Hachem make their way back, they are confronting the painful reality of communities that no longer exist.

“The whole village is destroyed. My house is destroyed. The village is destroyed. Where are we supposed to go now?” he said. “There is nothing left. A lifetime’s work is all gone.”

Among those killed was a neighbor Hachem considered a brother — a man he shared tea with every morning. That neighbor’s son also died in the violence.

“They have nothing to do with political parties, nothing to do with weapons, nothing to do with wars,” Hachem said, his voice filled with frustration. “The man was just trying to support his family, and he and his son died for nothing.”

An interim agreement announced between the United States and Iran brought a brief pause to the fighting earlier this week, giving displaced residents a window to return home. Hostilities flared once more before a new ceasefire took hold Friday afternoon.

For Hachem, the agreement came too late to save what mattered most.

“This agreement they reached, they should have made it from the very beginning,” he said. “Not after people were destroyed.”

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The British bar association has placed the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor on temporary suspension, as disciplinary proceedings against him move forward.

Karim Khan, a 56-year-old British barrister, was stripped of his ICC duties last week after the court’s oversight body determined he had engaged in “serious misconduct” related to allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a female staff member. Khan has firmly denied all allegations.

The Bar Standards Board, which oversees attorneys who practice law in England and Wales, announced Friday that Khan has been suspended from legal practice. The board said a disciplinary hearing would take place within four weeks but declined to specify what information formed the basis of its decision.

Attorneys representing Khan said the British regulator’s suspension was rooted in the Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties’ finding of serious misconduct. In a statement, his legal team said Khan “unequivocally denies all allegations of impropriety” and pledged to take “all necessary steps to challenge the decision of the Bureau.”

The Bureau of the Assembly of States Parties — the executive committee of the ICC’s oversight body — concluded last week that Khan had committed a “serious misconduct” and a “serious breach of duty,” recommending he be removed from his position. A formal vote on whether to permanently oust him is set for next month.

The misconduct allegations against Khan have been swirling around the court in The Hague for more than two years. He is accused of sexual misconduct involving a female aide.

An investigation by The Associated Press in 2024 revealed, through whistleblower documents, that Khan allegedly noticed the woman working in a different ICC department and had her transferred to his office. In 2025, Khan had temporarily stepped away from his duties while a United Nations investigation was conducted.

A report released in April by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services concluded there was evidence of “nonconsensual sexual contact” between Khan and his aide — occurring “in his office, at his private residence” and during an official mission, according to a copy reviewed by the AP. However, a three-judge panel tasked with legally evaluating those findings determined the investigation was not conclusive enough.

The ultimate decision about Khan’s future now rests with the 125-member Assembly of States Parties, the body that oversees the ICC. A diplomatic official, speaking without authorization to discuss the matter publicly, told the AP that several countries believe the misconduct allegations are politically motivated — an effort to derail the court’s investigation into Israel. “This is what happens when you go after friends of the U.S.,” the official said.

The ICC issued arrest warrants in 2024 for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister. In that ruling, judges stated there was reason to believe the two men used “starvation as a method of warfare” by limiting humanitarian aid and deliberately targeted civilians during Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza — allegations Israeli officials have rejected.

The Trump administration has imposed sanctions on Khan and roughly a dozen other court staff members connected to the Israel warrants and to investigations involving American personnel in Afghanistan. Those sanctions have disrupted a wide range of ongoing investigations at the court.

On Thursday, the ICC announced that a special session will be convened on July 24 in New York to hold the removal vote. Three senior officials familiar with the process, who were not authorized to speak on the record, said New York was chosen for logistical reasons — every member nation already has representation at the United Nations there.

For Khan to be removed, 63 countries would need to vote in favor. It remains uncertain who might take over the role. Two deputy prosecutors have been handling his responsibilities for the past year.

BRUSSELS (AP) — After a two-day summit, European Union leaders have left Brussels without reaching an agreement on whether to establish an informal communication line with the Kremlin, several of them acknowledged on Friday.

European Council President António Costa, who led the summit, had already taken steps through his office to make contact with Russia. He proposed sending a senior official to initiate that connection. Costa was clear that his intention was not to act as a mediator or to create a separate negotiating process running alongside the one currently being led by the United States — a process that itself has shown little sign of progress.

For months, European capitals have been debating whether to appoint someone to facilitate talks with Russia in hopes of jumpstarting a peace process. That idea has largely been dismissed, however, with many EU members skeptical that Russian President Vladimir Putin would come to the table regardless.

Rather than pursuing direct talks, the bloc’s 27 member nations have shifted their focus toward defining what concessions Russia must offer in exchange for any lasting peace agreement.

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš told reporters after the overnight session that the leaders had not resolved their disagreements. “Europe is unable to agree even on whether there will be negotiations or who will lead them,” he said.

Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin took a more supportive stance toward Costa’s outreach effort. “Opening up a channel is not a mistake in our view, and I trust António Costa,” he said. Martin also stressed that any formal negotiations would need to center on Ukraine and Russia directly, adding, “there are no indications that Russia is coming to the table at all.”

Putin has been working to sideline both Europe and Ukraine from discussions about the conflict’s future, preferring to engage directly with the United States. However, the Kremlin said Friday it would welcome dialogue with European leaders — provided Europe drops what it described as a confrontational posture.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, “We are ready for contact, we were not the ones who initiated cutting such contacts, terminating them completely. If forces emerge that realize the need to resume dialogue with Russia, not to lecturing it or, worse, to issue ultimatums … then President Putin and the Russian side would certainly be open to it.”

As leaders departed the summit, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever made light of the situation, joking that Costa himself should be sent to Moscow. “I was just talking about you, António,” De Wever said with a laugh while shaking Costa’s hand. “I was full of praise, saying you are the only one who can represent us and that we will send you to Moscow.”

Not everyone was amused by the idea of Europe playing a neutral role. Margus Tsahkna, the foreign minister of Estonia — a country on the EU’s eastern border that has experienced drone incursions and was once under Soviet occupation — argued that “Europe must not assume the role of a neutral mediator.” Instead, he said, the EU should be strengthening Ukraine’s hand in order to “force the Kremlin into serious negotiations.”

Police on the Indonesian tourist island of Bali have broken up an illegal wildlife operation involving 21 live green sea turtles, authorities announced Friday.

Officers conducted a raid on June 10 along the island’s Pegametan coast after local residents tipped off police about suspected illegal turtle trading in the area. The raid resulted in the seizure of all 21 living animals. Nanang Pri Hasmojo, who heads law enforcement for the Bali police force, confirmed the details of the operation.

A 67-year-old man, identified only by his initials KS, was taken into custody. Investigators believe he was responsible for holding the turtles before they could be distributed and sold.

During early questioning, the suspect reportedly told police that the turtles had been sent to him by an associate from waters near Madura, an island located in East Java province. He allegedly received the animals directly on the beach, where another individual was supposed to pick them up for resale.

“We are continuing to investigate the case and pursuing other suspects involved in the network,” Hasmojo stated. The suspect has been charged under Indonesia’s wildlife protection laws and could face up to 15 years behind bars along with substantial fines if convicted.

Indonesia has legally protected turtle species since 1990 through conservation and fisheries legislation. A regulation issued by the Environment Ministry in 2018 further strengthened protections for the six species of sea turtles found in Indonesian waters, and additional government rules ban their trade entirely.

Sea turtle poaching — carried out by both local communities and organized criminal operations — is considered a major factor in a global conservation crisis. The International Union for Conservation of Nature reports that six of the world’s seven sea turtle species are now classified as threatened.

A 2022 study conducted by researchers at Arizona State University and published in the journal Global Change Biology found that more than 1.1 million sea turtles were killed between 1990 and 2020. The killings were largely driven by demand for meat, alleged aphrodisiacs, and use in traditional and spiritual practices.

According to that same study, the green turtle — scientifically called Chelonia Mydas — made up 56% of all sea turtle killings over that 30-year span.

Bali was historically one of the biggest hubs for green turtle trafficking. That trade was fueled in part by the traditional use of turtle meat in religious offerings tied to Balinese Hinduism, the dominant faith on the island, which is home to roughly 4.5 million people.

JUBA, South Sudan — A Vietnamese national who was deported to South Sudan as part of the Trump administration’s controversial third-country deportation program has been sent back to Vietnam, following more than a year spent in detention.

South Sudan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the return of 44-year-old Tuan Phan during a press briefing on Friday.

Ministry spokesperson Agok Anyar offered a positive assessment of Phan’s time in their custody, saying: “We are grateful that while in our custody Mr. Phan was very disciplined, joyful, and importantly, he remained healthy.”

Phan was among eight men sent to Africa in May 2025. Their deportation was briefly halted midflight when a federal judge blocked their removal to South Sudan, citing procedural problems. The men were first diverted to a U.S. military base in Djibouti before ultimately arriving in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, aboard a military aircraft in July 2025 — after the Supreme Court cleared the way for their removal.

All eight men had criminal convictions in the United States, though each had already completed their prison sentences before being taken into immigration custody.

Phan is the second of the eight men to be repatriated. Jesus Munõz-Gutierrez was previously flown back to Mexico in September. Dian Peter Domach, the only South Sudanese citizen among the group, was released upon arrival. The remaining men in the group are nationals of Cuba, Myanmar, and Laos.

Court records show Phan came to the United States as a child in 1991. In 2000, shortly after turning 18, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison after fatally shooting someone during a gang-related confrontation. A deportation order was issued against him in 2009, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement took him into custody immediately after he finished his sentence in March 2025.

While detained in Juba, the men were held in a gated residence under armed guard, according to a U.S. Senate report. A congressional aide who visited Juba last year became the first non-South Sudanese official to check on the men, the report noted.

Michael Bochenek, a senior counsel for Human Rights Watch, raised concerns about the lack of outside access to the detainees, saying it meant “there’s been no independent check on people’s treatment and conditions of confinement and raises serious questions about South Sudan’s compliance with human rights norms and essential safeguards against abuses in detention.”

The choice of South Sudan as a receiving country drew particular criticism given the nation’s poor human rights record, widespread corruption, and ongoing political instability. Armed conflict displaced more than half a million people there in 2025, according to the United Nations.

At least seven African nations have agreed to accept deportees who are not their own citizens as part of deals with the U.S. government, which has in turn agreed to pay those governments millions of dollars. The monitoring group Third Country Deportation Watch reports that more than 180 people have been sent to these countries under such arrangements.

While the terms of many of these agreements have been disclosed publicly, the specifics of the South Sudan deal remain unclear. State Department documents that have been made public show South Sudan made requests to the U.S. after agreeing to accept the men — including sanctions relief for a former top official and assistance with the prosecution of a prominent opposition figure. What South Sudan ultimately received in return has not been confirmed.

The Israel Defense Forces confirmed Friday that four of its soldiers were killed during a combat incident in southern Lebanon, including Lt. Col. Dor Ben Shimhon, the commander of Battalion 52. Investigators are working to determine whether the tank carrying the soldiers was struck by a planted explosive device or an explosive drone deployed by Hezbollah terrorists.

IDF Spokesman Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin stated that the battalion commander’s tank was hit at around 12:30 a.m. The cause of the strike has not yet been officially determined, and the investigation remains ongoing. The identities of the three other soldiers who died in the incident have not been cleared for public release.

Ben Shimhon had taken command of Battalion 52 on April 20, 2026, roughly a week after the unit’s previous commander was seriously injured in combat. He had led the battalion through two months of active fighting before his death.

Ben Shimhon was married and the father of two daughters. He came from a family deeply rooted in military service — he and four of his brothers served in the 401st Brigade, while another brother served in the Golani Brigade. His wife is also an active-duty combat officer serving in the Combat Intelligence Collection and Border Defense Corps.

Defrin also disclosed that at approximately 4 a.m., an explosive drone struck a Commando Brigade task force, wounding five soldiers, including an officer.

The IDF spokesman noted that Hezbollah continues to violate the existing agreement, and that Israeli forces are maintaining freedom of action in the Yellow Line area. He added that the military stands ready at any moment to resume intensive operations in both Lebanon and Iran.

According to Defrin, Israeli forces struck 30 targets prior to the battalion commander’s death, and an additional 70 targets were hit by air and ground forces in the aftermath.

A court in the United Kingdom sentenced two men to prison on Friday after they were found guilty of carrying out a coordinated arson campaign targeting property belonging to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Roman Lavrynovych, a 22-year-old Ukrainian national, received a seven-year prison sentence, while Stanislav Carpiuc, a 27-year-old Romanian citizen, was sentenced to two years behind bars. Both were convicted of conspiracy to damage property through fire.

According to prosecutors, the two men targeted a vehicle and two separate properties connected to Starmer across three consecutive nights in May 2025. They allegedly carried out the attacks under the direction of a Russian-speaking individual who used the alias “El Money.” That person communicated with Lavrynovych through the messaging platform Telegram. The true identity of “El Money” was never uncovered, and no charges were filed against them.

The Italian government pushed back hard on Friday against U.S. President Donald Trump after he claimed that Premier Giorgia Meloni had “begged” him for a photo opportunity during the recently concluded G7 summit — a rebuke that signaled Italy’s patience with Trump’s bragging had run out.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani scrapped a scheduled visit to the United States this weekend in response, describing Trump’s remarks as “serious and offensive” to both Meloni personally and to Italy as a nation.

Meloni herself took to video to fire back, calling Trump’s account “completely fabricated” and closing with a pointed declaration: “Italy and I do not beg.”

Trump made the comments during an interview that aired Friday morning on the Italian La7 television network. A La7 correspondent had originally asked Trump about the situation in Ukraine, but Trump brought up Meloni and the discussion shifted to their encounter — captured on video — at the G7 gathering in Evian-les-Bains, France. The two leaders were seen speaking together at various moments during the summit, including a one-on-one conversation on a small sofa.

According to La7, Trump said Meloni had pleaded with him for a photo, adding that he felt sorry for her and went along with it even though he wasn’t required to. The network has posted a dubbed version of the exchange online, as the original English audio was not made available.

In her video response, Meloni said she felt compelled to speak up because “certain things deserve an immediate response.”

“Donald Trump’s statements are completely fabricated. I am frankly stunned,” she said. “I don’t know why the president of the United States behaves this way toward his own allies. After all, this isn’t the first time this has happened.”

That last line appeared to be a reference to an April interview Trump gave to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, in which he criticized Meloni for refusing to support the U.S.-Israel war against Iran. Meloni had stayed silent at the time, but on Friday she made clear she was done holding back.

“I can only say that it’s a shame he doesn’t show the same resolve toward the enemies of the West, toward the enemies of the United States — toward leaders with whom he, on the other hand, is much more accommodating,” Meloni said. “But there’s one thing he must remember: Italy and I do not beg.”

Meloni had initially worked to strengthen the long-standing relationship between Italy and the United States when Trump began his second term, positioning herself as a go-between for Washington and the European Union. She was the only EU head of state to attend his inauguration.

However, the relationship has become strained over several issues, including the U.S. military action against Iran — which Meloni has called illegal — as well as Trump’s stance on Ukraine, which Italy strongly backs. Trump’s tariffs and the strong U.S. support for Israel in the Gaza conflict have added further tension.

Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto also weighed in, rejecting Trump’s version of events and saying he could not imagine Meloni ever begging anyone for a photo, “not even under threat.”

“I can, however, imagine how much it cost her to set aside what Trump had said weeks ago, to serve the interests of Italy, of Europe, and of the West,” Crosetto wrote on X. “Jokes of this kind do no good to anyone: neither to the USA, nor to Italy, nor to the alliance.”

The White House confirmed late Thursday that Vice President JD Vance has scrapped his scheduled trip to Switzerland, where he was expected to attend a formal signing ceremony for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) designed to bring an end to the conflict with Iran.

The decision came just hours after Vance appeared at a White House press conference and left the door open on his travel plans. Despite earlier reports that a ceremony had been set for Friday in Geneva, Vance told reporters Thursday, “My plan is to go to Switzerland,” while acknowledging he did not know “exactly when.”

He also indicated that technical-level negotiations were expected to begin over the weekend, saying, “We think these technical negotiations are going to start sometime this weekend — that’s still the plan — but that could change.”

Earlier in the week, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had announced that Pakistan would host the Switzerland ceremony to mark the agreement and formally launch those negotiations. Friday’s planned event was meant to serve as a ceremonial signing and the official kickoff of the talks.

President Donald Trump had already digitally signed the MoU on Wednesday in Versailles. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also signed the document. Whether Vance’s trip will be rescheduled remains unclear.

The White House announcement came as violence continued in Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces reported that four of its soldiers, including a battalion commander, were killed by a Hezbollah drone in southern Lebanon. The military said it then carried out retaliatory strikes against Hezbollah targets.

At Thursday’s press conference, Vance took aim at Israel’s military strategy and its resistance to the MoU, which includes provisions that would restrict Israel’s ability to strike Hezbollah and respond to attacks.

“It’s clear that large segments of the Israeli political system and population are very sensitive about this deal,” Vance said. “But I also think they’re picking up on some misinformation about the deal and running with it and sort of panicking about it.”

Directing his remarks at Israeli critics of the agreement, Vance added: “I guess my response to them would be: What is your exact proposal? You’re a country of nine million people. You can’t just kill your way out of solving every single national security problem that you have.” Notably, Vance misstated Israel’s population — the actual figure is approximately 10 million.

President Trump also weighed in on Israel’s military actions in Lebanon during the G7 conference, telling reporters: “We have a little dispute over Lebanon. I say, ‘You can do a little softer touch, Bibi. You don’t have to knock down a building every time somebody walks into it that’s from Hezbollah.’”

MOSCOW — Russia signaled Friday that it is prepared to engage in conversations with European nations, but made clear it will not be pressured into negotiations on anyone else’s terms.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said practical reasoning alone demands such dialogue, given what he described as an “enormous number” of complicated matters that need to be addressed. However, he stressed that Europe must rethink how it approaches Russia before any meaningful exchange can happen.

“The Europeans have a very serious misconception: They assume that negotiations with Russia must be conducted from a position of strength and based on Russia’s weakness. This is the biggest mistake… Such talk will lead nowhere,” Peskov told reporters.

He went further, adding: “Does this stem from European incompetence, misinformation, or stupidity? We don’t know for sure, but it’s a fact.”

Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously indicated a willingness to speak with European governments, but has insisted they must initiate contact, since it was they who severed ties. The EU has now imposed 20 separate rounds of sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

EUROPE SHIFTS ITS POSITION

For more than a year, European nations largely stepped back from direct engagement with Russia, leaving U.S. President Donald Trump to take the lead in attempting to negotiate a resolution to the conflict. That posture appears to be changing.

The office of European Council President Antonio Costa made “brief contacts at diplomatic level” with the Kremlin over recent weeks in order to “open communication channels,” according to an EU official who spoke Wednesday.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker told the Financial Times in an interview released Thursday that the EU should capitalize on the current “momentum” surrounding Ukraine peace discussions to push forward with efforts to restart direct talks with Putin.

Peskov echoed Russia’s conditional willingness, saying Moscow would engage if the other side came ready for genuine conversation — “not to engage in moralising or, especially, to issue ultimatums.”

Costa’s outreach, however, exposed fault lines within the EU. At a summit of EU leaders held in Brussels, some member states said the initiative had not been coordinated with them and argued the bloc should instead focus on increasing pressure on Russia.

UKRAINE DRONE STRIKES HIT MOSCOW AREA

Ukraine has claimed it is gaining the upper hand in the war through an intensified wave of drone strikes targeting locations deep within Russia, including ports, oil refineries, and other critical infrastructure. Russia disputes this characterization and says it will continue fighting until its goals are met — with or without a diplomatic resolution.

The governor of the Moscow region announced Friday that an eight-year-old girl had been killed in a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack that struck the capital and surrounding areas the previous day. The assault, involving hundreds of drones, ignited a major oil refinery in southeast Moscow for the second time in just three days.

“Indeed, drone attacks continue. Appropriate measures are being taken to mitigate the consequences,” Peskov acknowledged.

When asked whether Putin had watched footage of the burning refinery, Peskov deflected, telling reporters they should instead look at images from Ukrainian cities struck by Russian forces.

“These strikes will continue,” he added.

LONDON — A commanding special election win by Andy Burnham on Friday has triggered a political chain reaction that could soon bring down Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the man who led the Labour Party back to power less than two years ago after a 14-year absence from government.

Burnham is widely considered the top contender to succeed Starmer, particularly after his overwhelming performance in the Makerfield seat in northwest England. Even as Labour has struggled with poor poll numbers and significant losses in recent local elections, Burnham managed to defy the political odds in a major way.

The 56-year-old not only fended off the challenge from the anti-immigration Reform UK party, but he dramatically boosted Labour’s vote share to nearly 55%. That’s especially striking given that at local elections just last month, Reform UK captured virtually every seat within the Makerfield constituency.

With his return to Parliament after nearly a decade away — during which he served as the widely popular mayor of Greater Manchester — Burnham is now positioned to mount a direct challenge to the struggling Starmer for both the Labour leadership and the country’s top office. While he has stopped short of formally declaring his intentions, his words leave little doubt about where his ambitions lie.

Burnham framed his win as “the change moment” and said he and his supporters hoped to “lay out a new path” for Britain.

“I think we need in this country right now for people to feel a sense of hope that there is something better to work towards on the horizon,” he said.

The next scheduled national election in the UK isn’t required until 2029, but British political rules allow a party to swap out its leader — and therefore its prime minister — without triggering a nationwide vote.

Here’s how a leadership change could unfold:

Despite Starmer’s repeated insistence that he would fight any challenge to his position, he may soon conclude that he would lose a leadership vote — a deeply humbling outcome for a man who delivered a landslide Labour victory in July 2024. Starmer now ranks among the most unpopular prime ministers in modern British history, battered by a series of policy stumbles and controversies. Chief among them was his widely criticized decision to appoint Peter Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, despite Mandelson’s connections to convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

Reports suggest that members of his own Cabinet may inform him this weekend that his position is no longer tenable and that resigning would be better both for him and for the Labour Party.

If Starmer chose to leave office right away, the Cabinet and Labour’s governing body would likely select a temporary leader to serve as prime minister — someone not expected to compete in the full leadership race. Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy has been mentioned as someone who could fill that role.

Another option would be for Starmer to announce he plans to step down at a future point, such as the party’s annual conference scheduled for September.

Burnham is expected to enter any leadership contest that follows. The bigger question is who else might join the race. Wes Streeting, who stepped down as health secretary last month, has signaled he intends to run. Other names being floated include Starmer’s former deputy Angela Rayner, who resigned last year over an unpaid property tax matter, and Al Carns, who left his post as armed forces minister last week over disagreements with Starmer’s defense spending plans.

A significant faction within Labour is pushing for no one to challenge Burnham at all, hoping he could walk into 10 Downing Street this summer, ahead of the party conference.

On Friday, Starmer found himself in the awkward position of publicly congratulating Burnham — knowing full well the victory only intensifies scrutiny of his own leadership.

The prime minister confirmed he had not yet spoken with Burnham but made clear he has no intention of stepping aside.

“Yes, I will run, I will stand,” Starmer said when asked whether he would contest a leadership challenge. “I’ve said repeatedly I’m not going to walk away from that.”

Under Labour’s rules, if a formal challenge is mounted, Starmer would automatically appear on the ballot. Any challenger would need to secure the support of at least one-fifth of Labour’s House of Commons lawmakers — that’s 81 members. Candidates who clear that bar would then need backing from either 5% of local party branches or at least three affiliated organizations, such as trade unions or cooperative societies.

Eligible party members and affiliates would then vote using a ranked-choice system, with the winner being the first candidate to surpass 50% of the vote. King Charles III would then formally invite that person to become prime minister and build a new government.

If a full contest takes place, the process could take three to four months, with the party holding town hall events before ballots are opened to its membership.