Russian President Vladimir Putin wished his US counterpart, Donald Trump, a happy 80th birthday during a phone call, presidential aide Yury Ushakov has told journalists. Trump was “touched” by the greeting, and the two leaders spoke for about an hour in a “friendly and open” manner, the official added.

Trump was particularly appreciative of the gesture, Ushakov said, noting that Putin was the first foreign leader to call and congratulate him on his birthday on Sunday.

Putin also thanked Trump for his Russia Day greeting earlier this week, adding that the American president’s message conveyed a “feeling of respect for the Russian people.”

The two presidents discussed a wide range of pressing international issues, including the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, as well as the Ukraine conflict, Ushakov said.

Trump said that he expected the results of the talks with Tehran to be made public later on Sunday and thanked Moscow for its engagement in the negotiating process and assistance in finding “constructive solutions” to the conflict between the US and Iran, Ushakov pointed out.

Putin said that he was glad the sides were able to contain the conflict which risked “igniting the entire region and beyond,” according to Ushakov. The Russian president also expressed his readiness to help stabilize the situation in the Middle East.

Trump called for a speedy cessation of hostilities in the Ukraine conflict and said that he was ready to “influence” Kiev and its European backers, including during the upcoming G7 summit later this month, the Kremlin aide said.

Putin responded by saying that continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian civilian infrastructure impede efforts to reach a settlement. He maintained that attacks targeting civilians would not change the Ukrainian military’s dire situation on the front line. Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky and his European backers only suggest options that would “prolong the conflict and extend the hostilities,” he explained.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Israeli officials feel sidelined by the emerging US-Iran peace deal and are furious with what they believe amounts to a “catastrophe” that fails the objectives set prior to the war, according to a report by the Israeli outlet Ynet.

According to the reported terms, the agreement would reopen the Strait of Hormuz without a toll regime, lift the American naval blockade on Iranian ports, ease sanctions on Tehran, and defer nuclear talks to later. While US President Donald Trump said the agreement would be signed on Sunday, Iranian officials said it would happen later.

Tehran has also insisted that the deal end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, where Israeli forces have occupied a significant chunk of territory. At the same time, whereas US officials seek an agreement that underlines “broad regional peace” – including in Lebanon – they insist that Israel reserves its right to self-defense.

“Trump screwed us,” one Israeli official told Ynet. A second official called the deal “very bad.” “From our perspective, it is a catastrophe, because it does not meet any of the principles we spoke about when the war began,” he said.

Publicly, however, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “expressed his appreciation” for President Trump’s commitment that the deal would “include the removal of enriched material” from Iran while stressing that his country is not a party to the agreement.

Behind the scenes, however, a different picture emerges, with Trump yelling at Netanyahu in early June and calling him “f**king crazy” over Israelʼs strikes in Lebanon, according to Axios. The outlet also claimed that Trump threatened to withdraw support for Israel if it restarts the war with Iran. Publicly, Trump also stressed that Netanyahu has no other choice but to accept a US-Iran deal.

The reported tensions between the two leaders come as Trump has received flak for what his critics describe as a successful Israeli ploy to draw the US into war with Iran. The military campaign drew the ire of some of Trump’s staunchest supporters, including conservative journalist Tucker Carlson, who called it the “single biggest mistake” of Trump’s presidency.

US President Donald Trump has not scheduled an official bilateral meeting with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky at the upcoming G7 summit in France, Bloomberg reported on Saturday, citing senior US administration officials.

Since returning to office in January 2025, Trump has held several formal and informal meetings with Zelensky in an effort to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Zelensky has reportedly sought to use the encounters to finalize pre-negotiated agreements on Ukraine’s post-conflict economic recovery and “security guarantees.” However, repeated contacts between the two leaders have so far failed to produce an agreement.

Trump will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of France, Qatar, the UAE, Egypt, and India during the summit, which will be held from Monday through Wednesday in the town of Evian-les-Bains, officials familiar with the plans told the news agency.

One official said the Ukrainian leader would take part in a working session with G7 leaders. Earlier this week, Western media, citing US administration sources, reported that Trump and Zelensky “may meet on the sidelines” of the summit.

As part of his stated effort to end the Ukraine conflict, the US president met with the Ukrainian leader in the Oval Office in February 2025. The televised talks descended into a heated clash after Zelensky criticized Trump’s neutral approach to settling the conflict. He was accused of showing insufficient respect and gratitude to Washington as Kiev’s top benefactor, as well as resisting peace and “gambling with World War III.”

Zelensky has repeatedly called for a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, he has ruled out traveling to Moscow and rejected the idea of withdrawing Ukrainian troops from the Donbass region, which Putin has said would be sufficient for Russia to declare a ceasefire.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum earlier this month, Putin said Russia remains committed to a peaceful settlement based on compromises reached with Trump in Alaska last year. He said the main obstacle is persuading Kiev to accept the terms, particularly withdrawing from Donbass, not joining NATO, and carrying out demilitarization and denazification.

Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev has accused UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer of using the seizure of a supposed Russian-linked vessel to distract from domestic problems.

In a post on X on Sunday, Starmer announced that UK forces intercepted a tanker involved in ‘shadow fleet’ operations, which allegedly help Russia bypass Western sanctions on oil exports.

The Smyrtos was reportedly transiting the English Channel before it was boarded by UK marines. The UK Defense Ministry said it will be held and monitored off the south coast while its operations are investigated.

Starmer boasted that he personally directed the interception, calling it a “successful operation” that delivered “yet another blow to Russia.” He later posted footage purportedly showing armed marines boarding the vessel.

Despite Putin’s best efforts to evade sanctions, we will not let him get away with it. pic.twitter.com/IIW3Cv2ENQ

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) June 14, 2026

Dmitriev suggested that the operation was not about security or enforcing sanctions, but to manufacture a confrontation and distract the public from immigration problems and crime.

“Desperate Starmer, instead of intercepting HIS immigrants who rape, mutilate and behead British people, attempts to DISTRACT the UK with an escalation,” he wrote on X.

Desperate Starmer, instead of intercepting HIS immigrants who rape, mutilate and behead British people, attempts to DISTRACT the UK with an escalation. https://t.co/3xjHIrXA39

— Kirill Dmitriev (@kadmitriev) June 14, 2026

The UK faces tensions over immigration following a number of attacks and high-profile murder and rape cases involving migrants in recent years. This week, a 17-year-old girl was stabbed in the neck in northwest England by a 30-year-old man of Pakistani heritage. The most persistent issue remains migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats from France, with successive governments repeatedly promising and failing to reduce the arrivals.

The UK has been among the loudest advocates of tougher action against ships carrying Russian oil, while previously avoiding direct involvement. In March, however, London claimed that a legal review cleared UK troops to board the vessels. The Russian Embassy in London called it a “deeply hostile step,” accusing the UK of preparing “acts of piracy.”

Russia has long considered Britain a key force behind the Ukraine conflict, accusing it of directly assisting Ukrainian long-range strikes on Russian territory with UK-supplied weapons. Moscow has also accused Western governments of demonizing Russia to justify increased defense spending and to distract the public’s attention from domestic problems.

Thousands of anti-migration protesters marched in Rome on Saturday in support of a citizens’ initiative calling for stricter migration controls.

The demonstration was organized by the Remigration and Reconquest Committee, which promotes a popular bill offering financial incentives for foreigners to leave Italy and encouraging descendants of Italians living abroad to return to the country.

A petition by the committee has collected more than 130,000 signatures, well above the 50,000 required for a citizens’ initiative to be formally submitted to parliament.

Roma today: "Let's take back our neighborhoods! Everyone out!" The EU that has flooded our cities with parasites and criminals will soon implode. https://t.co/h9wucL43sT pic.twitter.com/5NmJ9JByP6

— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) June 13, 2026

Italian patriots gathered en masse in Rome to demand mass deportations. Many pro Mussolini chants. pic.twitter.com/nVUsDOXIHv

— RadioGenoa (@RadioGenoa) June 13, 2026

Italy has been one of the main destinations for migrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa, with hundreds of thousands arriving by sea since the 2015 migration crisis. Italy received more than 150,000 sea arrivals in 2023 and about 66,000 in both 2024 and 2025, according to Interior Ministry figures.

A rival pro-migrant demonstration was also held in Rome, drawing left-wing groups, trade unions, and activists who accused the anti-migration campaign of targeting foreigners and undermining rights protections. Police were deployed to keep the opposing rallies apart.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni faces competing pressures on migration policy. Her government has moved to curb irregular arrivals while simultaneously expanding legal migration.

Italy has the oldest population in the EU and one of the bloc’s lowest birth and fertility rates, making foreign labor increasingly important to the economy.

The Rome rallies came after the EU’s Migration and Asylum Pact entered into force on Friday. The bloc’s biggest migration overhaul in years introduces mandatory border screening, accelerated asylum procedures for some applicants, expanded biometric registration, and measures intended to speed up the return of rejected asylum seekers.

James Boyard, the chief of staff of the Haitian Defense Ministry, has been kidnapped along with his family amid escalating gang violence, media reports claimed on Saturday.

Boyard, a respected security expert and author, serves as chief of staff to Haiti’s newly appointed defense minister, Mario Andresol, and as inspector general of the national police.

Local media reported that unidentified armed men snatched Boyard on Thursday in Bourdon, one of the few areas of the capital, Port-au-Prince, still considered relatively safe, though most of the city is controlled by gangs. A person familiar with the situation confirmed the kidnapping to AP.

Police sources told the New York Times that Boyard was abducted along with his wife and six-year-old daughter, a US citizen, and that a ransom was demanded. While it remains unclear who carried out the kidnapping, investigators reportedly suspect Christ-Roi Chery, known as Chrisla, the leader of the Ti Bwa gang, a major armed group. A spokesman for the Haitian police declined to comment on the case.

Groups controlling major highways, ports, and entire communities have prevented the authorities from holding elections while carrying out kidnappings, killings, and attacks on state institutions. Officials say elections scheduled for later this summer are unlikely to take place due to the continuing violence.

A Kenyan-led, UN-backed mission known as the Multinational Security Support (MSS), deployed to Haiti in 2024 to help curb the violence, was able to secure the presidential palace and reopen several key roads, but struggled to make further gains.

According to UN figures released earlier this month, nearly 1.5 million people have been displaced by violence in Haiti since 2022, and more than 16,000 have been killed. Local rights groups put the death toll closer to 20,000.

Kidnappings remain widespread in Haiti. At least 647 people, including women and children, were abducted last year, according to the UN, with ransom demands often higher for foreigners and dual nationals. While recent high-profile cases have targeted journalists and foreign missionaries, Boyard is the highest-ranking official kidnapped in the country in years.

US President Donald Trump’s looming Iran peace deal looks like a “surrender document” and fails to deliver anything America did not have before the war, Democratic congressman Seth Moulton has said.

The comments come after Trump announced on Saturday that a peace framework would be signed the next day and would include reopening the Strait of Hormuz. In an apparent reference to Iran’s enriched uranium, he said, “at the appropriate time, when all is calm, we will go in and get the Nuclear Dust” and destroy it.

Media reports also claimed that the deal includes sanctions relief and the dismantling of the US blockade of Iran, while the strait will be operated without a toll regime. Iranian officials said, however, that the signing “will not be tomorrow,” and that talks on the nuclear program are expected to start later.

“I mean, $100 billion of taxpayer money already put into this war, 14 Americans dead, and we get a deal that just reopens the strait that was already open before he started the war? How is that a win?” Moulton said.

While he acknowledged that ending the war is the best option for the US, in terms of accomplishing goals, it has been “just lose, lose, lose across the board for Trump and the United States of America.”

Media reports suggest that despite the devastating US-Israeli strikes, Iran’s military remains a potent fighting force, and Tehran could obtain a nuclear weapon within months, though it denies that it seeks to do so.

California Senator Adam Schiff, a critic of the war, also expressed reservations about the deal, saying the talks could end with a “face-saving announcement to agree at a later date by the president. That would be a terrible strategic loss for the country.”

The US State Department has announced a global crackdown on what it describes as illegal “birth tourism” schemes.

The effort involves revoking hundreds of visas and dismantling networks in Africa and Europe that allegedly helped foreign nationals travel to the US to give birth and obtain citizenship for their children.

“No foreigner is permitted to obtain a visitor visa for the primary purpose of acquiring US citizenship for a child by giving birth in the US,” the State Department wrote on X on Wednesday, announcing the crackdown.

While it is not illegal for foreigners to give birth in the US, the authorities say the crackdown targets visa fraud, including applicants who misrepresent their travel purpose or use organized networks to enter under false pretenses.

“Illicit ‘birth tourism’ networks charge tens of thousands of dollars and coach individuals to commit visa fraud by lying to our consular officers,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott wrote on X on Saturday.

During President Donald Trump’s first term, the State Department introduced rules aimed at curbing birth tourism. The measures allow consular officers to deny visitor visas if they determine an applicant’s primary purpose is to obtain US citizenship for a child through birth in the country, while requiring those seeking medical treatment to document their treatment plans and ability to pay. The rules remain in force today.

Investigations have identified Chinese and Russian nationals as a major source of birth-tourism clients.

The renewed enforcement effort comes as the Trump administration pursues stricter visa screening and broader measures to combat immigration-related fraud and strengthen border security.

Ukraine must respect the rights of its ethnic Hungarian minority if it wants to join the EU, Hungary’s new prime minister, Peter Magyar, has said.

An estimated 80,000 Hungarians live in Ukraine, mostly in the western Zakarpattia Region. Their status has long been a point of contention between the neighboring countries, especially during the premiership of Magyar’s predecessor, Viktor Orban, who repeatedly blocked Kiev’s efforts to move closer to the EU.

On Friday, the two countries signed what Magyar described as a historic agreement on the education, linguistic, cultural, and political rights of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine. He said Kiev committed to incorporating the deal into its EU Minority Action Plan. In return, Budapest lifted its veto on Ukraine’s EU accession process.

In a video message posted on social media, Magyar said Ukraine’s integration into the bloc will be “a long and complex process,” comparing it to Montenegro’s accession path, which began in 2012.

“Until Ukraine fulfills its obligations regarding the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia, it will not be able to move forward with the accession process.”

Under Orban, Hungary refused to send weapons to Kiev and protested the forced mobilization of ethnic Hungarians, some of whom hold Hungarian passports, into the Ukrainian military to fight Russia.

“Our people cannot be used as cannon fodder,” Orban said in February.

Ukrainian conscription officers have been accused of ambushing military-age men on the streets, at workplaces, and outside their homes, and of using force against those who resist or attempt to flee. Families of conscripts have also accused draft officials of ignoring chronic health conditions and other grounds for exemption.

Several ethnic Hungarian recruits died before reaching the front line, prompting outrage in Budapest. In January, Zsolt Reban, 46, died at a training center. According to Hungarian officials, he was drafted despite previously being declared unfit for military service due to a lifelong heart condition.

Last year, Jozsef Sebestyen, 45, died after allegedly being beaten at a military training center, according to his family. The Ukrainian authorities denied any wrongdoing, claiming that he died of a pulmonary embolism.

The peace agreement being finalized between the US and Iran is bad for Israel, Yair Lapid, the leader of the Israeli opposition and former prime minister, said on Saturday.

US President Donald Trump announced that a deal will be signed on Sunday, while Iran said a memorandum of understanding will be signed in the coming days.

“The emerging agreement achieves none of Israel’s war objectives. The regime survives, its missile program remains intact, and Iran can rebuild its nuclear program,” Lapid wrote on X. He argued that the deal represents “a complete failure” by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The US and Israel launched a joint military operation against Iran on February 28, prompting retaliatory strikes across the Middle East and leading Tehran to close the Strait of Hormuz to nearly all shipping, triggering a surge in global energy prices. The exchange of strikes largely ceased after a truce was reached in April.

Although the exact details of the agreement have not been made public, Trump said Iran will pledge to not seek nuclear weapons, and the US will dilute and destroy the Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile.

The US and Israel previously demanded that Iran completely dismantle its nuclear program and surrender its entire stockpile of enriched uranium. Netanyahu also repeatedly called on Iranians to topple their government.

“As long as I am prime minister of Israel, Iran will not obtain nuclear weapons. There is complete agreement between President Trump and me on this issue,” Netanyahu said on Friday.

According to Axios and CNN, however, the news that a deal is close to being reached caught Netanyahu by surprise. Trump said Israel will have no choice but to accept the agreement and acknowledged that he pressured Netanyahu to halt Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon during several heated phone calls.

Both Democrats and dissident Republicans have accused Trump of going to war with Iran on Israel’s behalf. Trump has rejected the claim, insisting that he was acting in the interests of the US.

The use of AI in the US strike on a girls’ elementary school in Iran that killed nearly 160 people, mostly children, did not violate Anthropic’s ‘red lines,’ CEO Dario Amodei has said.

US forces struck the school in Minab with a Tomahawk missile on the first day of the war on Iran in February. The institution was reportedly targeted based on outdated data used by Palantir’s analysis and surveillance software, which incorporates Anthropic’s Claude AI.

In an interview with Bloomberg published on Wednesday, Amodei was asked whether his firm’s AI had played a role in the deadly attack.

“We don’t know exactly how these models were used… and what you’re talking about is a use case that doesn’t even violate our red lines,” he said.

While AI assists the military, “a human made that final call,” he added, stressing that Anthropic opposes entirely autonomous weapons and decision-making systems.

Last month, the Pentagon announced that it had inked deals with top US AI companies, including Google, Amazon Web Services, SpaceX, OpenAI, NVIDIA and Microsoft. Just weeks earlier, Palantir CEO Alex Karp proclaimed a “new era” of AI-enabled US military supremacy.

According to Google whistleblower and Palantir insider Zach Vorhies, AI giants’ defense of surveillance and the use of AI in warfare is a “catch-22.”

“The way that they’re framing this in that if they don’t have good information, they’re just going to have collateral damage,” Vorhies said, warning that US AI giants are pushing to be increasingly deregulated in pursuit of a military advantage.

Anti-immigration and anti-racism protesters scuffled with police during rival demonstrations in Glasgow, Scotland, amid tensions fueled by a stabbing attack allegedly involving a Sudanese asylum seeker.

On Saturday, the NGO Stand Up to Racism held a rally in downtown Glasgow, with organizers calling on supporters to “reclaim the streets from the far right.” Participants carried Scottish and Palestinian flags and chanted, “Refugees are welcome here,” according to The Herald.

Around 70 counterprotesters arrived at the event, many dressed in black and wearing balaclavas.

THE STREET ARE OURS: THOUSANDS OF ANTIRACISTS RECLAIM THE STREETS IN GLASGOW AND HUMILIATE FAR RIGHT THUGS

Glasgow reclaimed the streets from the far right today! pic.twitter.com/X942Y0ex8s

— Stand Up to Racism - Scotland (@SUTRScotland) June 13, 2026

As police sought to keep the rival groups apart, some anti-immigration demonstrators pushed against barriers and shoved officers. Some of their opponents also pushed police while attempting to break through the separation line.

NEW🚨: Chaos on the streets of Glasgow, Scotland!

Police clash with young patriots protesting against mass migration.

Meanwhile, pro-migrant and woke groups are also holding demonstrations in Glasgow today. pic.twitter.com/W7smAavlu1

— The Reformed Media (@ReformedMedia_) June 13, 2026

#Scotland — Neo-nazis carrying Israeli flags are trying to attack anti-racist demonstrators in Glasgow.

Yes, you heard that right: neo-nazis are now carrying Israeli flags. pic.twitter.com/wSd3e44PeU

— Antifa_Ultras (@ultras_antifaa) June 13, 2026

Police Scotland said one man was arrested for threatening an officer, while another officer was struck by an egg thrown during the unrest.

“A number of reported hate crimes will now be investigated,” a police spokesperson said.

Another high-profile incident occurred on Friday in Brierfield, England, where a man stabbed a 17-year-old girl in the middle of a street, causing non-life-threatening injuries. Police described the suspect as a British man of Pakistani descent.

The recent attacks have reignited debates about migration and what right-wing politicians and activists describe as two-tier policing. They argue that the incidents highlight the government’s inability to adequately address crimes committed by foreigners and other offenders.

Prominent anti-immigration activist Tommy Robinson said he was detained for several hours at Heathrow Airport on Saturday under anti-terrorism legislation and had his phone seized by police.

According to Sky News, Robinson is scheduled to take part in a debate at the Oxford Union next week on whether the West is “right to be suspicious of Islam.”

A peace deal between the US and Iran will be signed on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said in a post on Truth Social. Tehran earlier denied that an agreement can be reached by Sunday, though it did not rule out a deal “in the coming days.”

The two nations have been engaged in talks mediated by Pakistan for more than two months following a truce reached in early April. The negotiations came after the US and Israel launched a military operation against Iran in late February.

Iran responded with strikes against Gulf states that host US bases and by closing the Strait of Hormuz, which normally handles around a quarter of global seaborne oil and LNG trade.

“The Deal is scheduled to get signed tomorrow, and immediately after it is signed, the Hormuz Strait is OPEN TO ALL,” Trump wrote on Saturday.

He added that the agreement will prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons “either through purchase, development, or any other form of procurement.” Tehran has denied that it seeks nuclear weapons, insisting that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that an agreement is “likely expected in the next 24 hours.”

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said earlier on Saturday that it “will not happen tomorrow.”

Baghaei previously said the memorandum will give the two sides 60 days to negotiate the future of Iran’s nuclear program, and that the agreement will include an end to Israeli operations in Lebanon.

He also accused Israel of seeking to derail the deal. “We are not dealing with parties that are fully committed to their obligations. They take advantage of every opportunity to break their promises.”

Exactly one year ago, on June 13, 2025, the world entered a new reality.

A new chapter was opened in the history of the Middle East, in the history of Iran, and in the long-running confrontation between Iran and Israel. What had spent decades unfolding as a covert, hybrid, and indirect struggle suddenly took the form of a direct military confrontation.

Until that moment, the conflict between Iran and Israel had followed a different pattern. It was largely a shadow war – a contest fought through intelligence operations, cyberattacks, strikes on strategic assets and allied forces, proxy networks, diplomatic pressure, sanctions, mutual threats, and occasional missile exchanges. For years, both sides had avoided crossing the threshold into full-scale open warfare, preferring limited operations, regional partners, and carefully calibrated actions.

That balance was shattered on June 13, 2025. Israel effectively moved the conflict into a new phase. From that point forward, this was no longer another episode in a cycle of regional tensions. It became a direct attack on Iran as a state. That is why the June 2025 war marked a historic turning point: for the first time, a confrontation that had largely existed in a covert and limited form evolved into an open military conflict between two of the Middle East’s most influential powers.

The Iran-Israel rivalry did not emerge overnight. Its roots stretch back decades, shaped by political, ideological, and strategic antagonism.

For Israel, Iran had long been viewed as its most significant regional adversary – one capable of altering the balance of power across the Middle East. For Iran, meanwhile, Israel was not merely an opponent but part of a broader system of pressure linked to the United States, Western sanctions, and efforts to constrain Tehran’s strategic autonomy.

At the center of this rivalry stood Iran’s nuclear program.

For years, it served as a focal point for suspicion, threats, and diplomatic crises. Israel and Western governments argued that Iran could eventually move toward developing nuclear weapons. Tehran consistently maintained that its program was peaceful and intended for energy production, scientific research, and technological development. Between these competing narratives emerged a permanent zone of political pressure, where every report, inspection, and public statement became not only a technical matter but also a political weapon.

When Israel experienced the trauma of October 6–7, 2023, and responsibility was placed on Hamas, it became clear that the region was entering a new phase of instability.

Some Israeli politicians and analysts described Hamas as an Iranian proxy. Yet such a characterization oversimplifies – and fundamentally misrepresents – the nature of the Palestinian movement. Hamas has never been a direct instrument of Tehran. It possesses its own political logic, social base, objectives, and historical trajectory. While Iran and Hamas maintained contacts, support networks, and elements of military-political cooperation, that did not make Hamas a fully controlled Iranian entity.

Nevertheless, after October 2023, one reality became increasingly difficult to ignore: a direct confrontation between Iran and Israel was becoming not merely possible, but increasingly likely.

The question was no longer whether such a war would occur. The real questions were when it would begin, what form it would take, and how far each side would be willing to go.

Israel increasingly viewed Iran as the primary source of regional instability, while Tehran saw developments across the region as part of a broader campaign aimed at weakening both Iran and its allies. In this sense, the events of October 2023 became not only a turning point for Israel and Palestine but also a critical milestone on the path toward an open Iran-Israel confrontation.

Israel sought to demonstrate that it was no longer willing to wait for diplomatic processes to run their course. Iran, for its part, viewed the mounting pressure as an attempt to force capitulation and dismantle its strategic capabilities. The region found itself on the edge of an event that many had long considered possible but few were willing to acknowledge as inevitable.

The IAEA factor: Reports, distrust, and the political justification for war

One of the most significant elements of the prewar environment was the role played by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The agency’s reports and public statements became embedded within the broader framework of pressure on Iran. Officially, the discussion centered on nuclear safeguards, transparency requirements, and inspector access. In practice, however, these documents became part of a wider political campaign that helped shape the environment in which Israel later acted.

A troubling narrative emerged first: Iran was allegedly concealing aspects of its nuclear activities, failing to provide adequate explanations, and undermining transparency requirements. This narrative intensified diplomatic pressure and helped portray Tehran as the party responsible for driving the crisis.

After the war began, however, the conversation changed.

IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi later acknowledged that the agency possessed no evidence that Iran was systematically pursuing a nuclear weapon. For Tehran and its supporters, this became a central argument. If no direct evidence existed, why had this issue become one of the principal justifications for military action?

This raises a broader political question: was the IAEA report a neutral technical assessment, or was it ultimately used to legitimize a course of action that had already been decided upon?

Supporters of Iran viewed the episode as an example of how international institutions can become part of a larger political process – not necessarily through direct participation in any conspiracy, but because cautious language, ambiguity, and incomplete conclusions can be leveraged by powerful actors to advance their own agendas.

The war unfolds: From initial strike to open confrontation

The June war moved quickly.

Israel launched its campaign with strikes against facilities associated with Iran’s military and nuclear infrastructure. The objective was clear: deliver a rapid, painful, and symbolically powerful blow that would expose Iran’s vulnerabilities and shake confidence within its leadership.

But expectations of paralysis proved misplaced.

Iran did not disappear from the political landscape. It did not abandon resistance. Nor did it accept the logic of defeat imposed upon it.

Tehran’s response demonstrated that the country was prepared not only to absorb pressure but also to answer it. That is why June 2025 became more than a military episode – it became a test.

The war tested more than missiles, air-defense systems, intelligence capabilities, and alliances. It tested state resilience, social cohesion, and Iran’s ability to function under direct attack.

The conflict also revealed how outdated many assumptions about the region had become.

Israel demonstrated its willingness to embrace a direct military option. The United States, even while presenting itself as a mediator, remained part of the broader architecture of pressure directed at Iran. And Iran showed that it could no longer be viewed merely as an object of sanctions, threats, and diplomatic ultimatums. It proved capable of making strategic decisions, absorbing blows, and altering its adversaries’ calculations.

The ceasefire announced with the involvement of Donald Trump appeared, on the surface, to be an effort to put the conflict behind all parties. In reality, however, it resolved none of the underlying issues.

It is also worth remembering that only hours before the war began, Trump publicly announced a new round of US-Iran talks scheduled to take place in Oman on June 15. Only later did it become apparent that he had already been informed of the impending strikes and had, in effect, given Israel a green light – at least according to his own public statements. It remains equally possible that the outbreak of war caught him by surprise and that his subsequent support for Israel was an attempt to preserve political credibility after the fact.

A reconnaissance in force: Why June 2025 was not the end

The central lesson of the June war is that it was not an end point – it was a reconnaissance in force.

For Iran’s adversaries, the conflict was an opportunity to test how deeply the Iranian system could be struck and how far a strategy of pressure could be pushed. The expectation was that Iran would emerge weakened, disoriented, and forced to retreat under a new set of rules.

The outcome proved more complicated.

Iran undoubtedly suffered significant political, military, and infrastructural costs. Yet it was neither destroyed nor broken, nor did it lose its ability to respond.

If anything, the very fact of a direct attack reinforced a growing perception within Iranian society that the issue was no longer a dispute over specific facilities or agreements. Instead, it was increasingly viewed as a struggle over Iran’s right to exist as an independent center of power.

For that reason, June 2025 can be understood as a rehearsal for a larger conflict.

Reports emerged at the time suggesting that Israel had even considered targeting Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, allegedly refraining only at Trump’s request. Whether true or not, such reports underscored the scale of thinking already underway.

Subsequent escalation – including the renewed tensions that emerged after February 28 of this year – became part of the same chain of events. First came the strike, then a pause, then renewed pressure. Together, these developments formed a coherent strategy aimed not merely at constraining Iran but at placing it in a position where it would be forced to continually justify itself, retreat, and defend its right to security.

Yet it was precisely at this point that the strategy encountered its limits.

Iran demonstrated that it was prepared to go further – not because it seeks war for its own sake, but because its leadership views retreat as an invitation to even greater pressure. From Tehran’s perspective, concessions made under attack do not produce peace; they simply convince opponents that coercion works.

A new chapter for Iran and the region

The June war changed many things.

It redefined the boundaries of what is considered acceptable in Middle Eastern politics. It demonstrated that the era of covert confrontation between Iran and Israel had come to an end. It forced regional governments to reassess risk calculations and compelled major powers to recognize that traditional deterrence mechanisms no longer function as they once did.

For Iranians, the war became a national test.

It underscored that the country had entered an era in which pressure would no longer be limited to sanctions and diplomacy but could take the form of direct military action. At the same time, it reinforced Iran’s image as a state unwilling to surrender or disappear from regional politics.

For Israel, June 2025 represented a watershed moment as well.

It demonstrated a willingness to act preemptively, but it also exposed a new level of risk. Direct military action against Iran did not eliminate the threat. Instead, it pushed the confrontation onto a more dangerous trajectory.

For the wider world, the conflict served as a warning.

The international system proved unprepared for a crisis of this magnitude. Some actors called for de-escalation. Others sought to use the crisis as leverage. Still others watched from the sidelines, uncertain where the line between a localized war and a regional catastrophe truly lay.

That is why June 13, 2025, cannot be viewed as just another date in the history of the Middle East.

It was the day the old logic of the conflict came to an end, while a new one had yet to acquire clear rules. The world still does not know how this new era will unfold. Iran, however, has already made one thing clear: it has no intention of living according to a script written by others.

The June war was a reconnaissance in force. It exposed vulnerabilities, tested limits, and revealed intentions. But it did not bring the story to a close.

On the contrary, it marked the beginning of a new chapter – harsher, more dangerous, and more unpredictable than the one before.

The central question is no longer whether that war is over.

The real question is what the next one will look like.

Newly released evidence from US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard suggests that Russia could have been the ultimate target of a US-funded network of biological laboratories around the world, including in Ukraine, Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst and CEO of BERG Associates, has told RT.

Gabbard published a trove of declassified documents on Friday revealing that Washington had funded 120 biological facilities in over 30 nations. A third of them were located in a single country: Ukraine. According to the documents, laboratories that collaborated with the US Army and other agencies worked with “especially dangerous pathogens,” including anthrax, avian flu, Ebola, plague, and tuberculosis.

Moscow has repeatedly accused Kiev of aiding the US in its biological weapons program.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov of Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces, who led an investigation into the laboratories, was assassinated in 2024, allegedly by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU). A year earlier, he stated that the US had “conducted dual-use research, including the creation of biological weapons components, in close proximity to Russian borders.”

According to Johnson, all the US-funded laboratories were established “at the initiative” of Washington. The research conducted in those laboratories “has no role in the defense of a country,” he believes. “It is [for] offensive [purposes].”

Watch the full interview here:

A US federal judge has rejected a last-minute attempt to block President Donald Trump from hosting a UFC event at the White House this weekend.

Trump announced plans in 2025 for a UFC title event at the White House as part of the America 250 celebrations and his 80th birthday, which falls on Sunday, calling it “a birthday party the likes of which you have never seen.” Ahead of the event, the South Lawn has been transformed into a mini-coliseum, featuring an octagon surrounded by thousands of seats and dominated by a 28-meter-tall, 600-ton steel structure dubbed ‘The Claw’.

The plans, however, sparked public debate, with critics accusing the administration of commercializing national landmarks for private gain. Political activist Susan Douglas and Vietnam War veteran Paul Romano, represented by the anti-corruption nonprofit Public Integrity Project, filed a lawsuit last week seeking to stop the show.

An inside look at the UFC Claw set up at the White House.

Ready to rock for Sunday: pic.twitter.com/kmyDLoRf4Q

— Daniel Baldwin (@baldwin_daniel_) June 11, 2026

The plaintiffs claimed that officials were improperly relying on a federal rule exempting events tied to the nation’s 250th anniversary from certain permitting requirements. They also argued that the event is being run by private entities rather than the government and could financially benefit Trump, who holds stock in UFC parent company TKO Holdings.

US District Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled on Friday that the plaintiffs lacked legal standing to challenge the event. While he did not address whether the UFC show itself is lawful, the judge noted that halting it at the last minute would have significant consequences, citing nearly a year of planning and the $60 million spent by the UFC and affiliated organizations on preparations.

In filings defending the event, Justice Department lawyers rejected claims that officials had bypassed federal permitting requirements and argued that temporary structures on the South Lawn were common for special events.

“Temporary structures are ubiquitous on the White House grounds, erected for nearly every special event, yet nobody has ever before suggested that Congress somehow needs to pass legislation for every concert tent or Easter egg roll kiosk,” they wrote, as cited by the media.

The White House welcomed the ruling, with spokesman Davis Ingle telling the New York Times that the court “rightly rejected an untimely and frivolous effort to halt the historic UFC event.”

You can’t argue with a man observing the obvious: We are living in unusually perilous times. In the Middle East, for instance, the Israeli-American infernal duo have been on a rampage of war, state terror, all-purpose devastation, and genocide that, as a bonus, has also brought the world economy to the verge of cardiac arrest by clogging one of its vital fossil fuel arteries. Indeed, that particular risk is so obvious that even Germany’s less than brilliant Friedrich Merz has long spotted it.

In the Far East, Taiwan is currently ruled by a government so hell-bent on antagonizing their fellow Chinese on the mainland that Taipei’s political reflexes seem almost as perverse as those of Berlin. In the West, you have the German elite which can’t find enough billions to fork over to Ukraine when Kiev and friends blow up Germany’s vital pipelines and lethally cripple its already ailing economy. In the East, there is Taipei, getting really, really angry when the Philippines and Japan start negotiating away Taiwan’s maritime Exclusive Economic Zone. Angry, that is, at Beijing.

And in the EU, that “garden” of “values” that really is a swampy jungle of eternal confusion and corruption, the catastrophe that in its foreign policy is now obvious enough for several European bigwigs to gang up on the abysmally, ragingly incompetent Kaja Kallas. Her tenure as de facto EU foreign minister has been so breathtakingly blundering that her employers aren’t merely itching to kick her out but thinking about, in essence, abolishing her job.

Being so horrible at something that you won’t just get fired yourself but take it down with you – perhaps only the Baltic Girl Boss Wonder could pull that one off. But then, maybe it’s really all just another power grab by EU’s German queen (of the absolute kind) and US viceroy (of the submissive kind) Ursula von der Leyen. Either way, frightful insanity abides.

Granted, from a hapless NATO-EU European perspective, Russia may look a little unsettling: after all, once you have waged years of proxy war, sanctions, and propaganda war against it, who knows what the mood is really like in Moscow? As a good NATO-EU apparatchik, you certainly would not, because you have displayed the foresight of a gnat by proudly not talking – or listening – to the Russians. So, when you feel a little insecure, that might really be your bad conscience calling (in a merely professional, not moral sense, which you are likely to lack).

But, generally speaking, the worse the stupidities and mistakes you have produced but keep repressing, the higher the price. Old Sigmund Freud called it “affective debility.” In essence, it means that lying to yourself makes you dim. And once you are BS'ing yourself for years as if there’s no tomorrow, you’ll turn positively imbecilic.

That’s the only way to explain a fresh wave of transparently hysterical scare mongering about Russia in the West, in particular, this time, in Britain. Thus, on the occasion of the recent St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), centrist mainstream flagship The Independent came out with a fascinating piece of fiction masquerading as analysis. Under the clickbait title “‘Puffy-looking’ Putin is acting weirder than ever – and that should chill us to the bone,” readers were treated to a highly imaginative horror tale about, in essence, a terrible loose cannon in the Kremlin pondering staged incidents and nuclear terrorism and ready to blow up the world or at least Europe or perhaps just Britain because Russia is losing the war. Also, he looks “puffy”!

All of this backed up (not really) by yet another statement from a high British military officer that things are dire as never before in (his) living memory. He and his comrades in arms – plus a few tweedy spy gents and dames – produce these Cassandra screams at least twice a month; it seems to be a standing order.

Generally speaking, The West has a rich tradition of declaring Russia vanquished, its president, Vladimir Putin, at death’s door or on the verge of being regime-changed away, and, of course, Ukraine (and, really, the West) on the cusp of winning the war. And, at the same time, of predicting that Russia will attack all of Europe, likely tomorrow. Notwithstanding occasional and intriguing anomalies, when a NATO commander (from Trump’s US, of course) lets slip a fragment of truth, such as that actually Moscow is not looking for conflict.

In short, we are speaking about the severe and very sad but also funny mental condition already well known as Russophrenia: The afflicted live with an imaginary Schroedinger’s Russia occupying their suffering minds, a Russia that is always simultaneously half-dead and yet so alive and kicking, it’s about to roll into their living room on a tank.

In that sense, the silly Independent piece is merely an almost comically perfect specimen of an absurd genre: Its whole argument boils down to “Russia is finished and that’s why it’s coming for all of us as never before.” Yet there is something special about this particular emanation of Russophrenia: it’s so easy to debunk you must wonder if its author has any relationship to or respect for empirical reality left.

Don’t believe it? See for yourself. The address and panel Q&A featuring Putin at the SPIEF are easily available online because that’s what the Office of the Russian Presidency habitually does: Publish full video records of major events in which Putin takes part, with good English dubbing too (I know because I know both Russian and English).

More importantly, you will also hear Putin give a speech that is, if anything, determinedly factual, even a touch dry, crammed with statistics and clearly carefully worked-out, balanced language. Whether you love or hate, like or dislike the man, the cornered loose cannon The Independent pretends to have spotted is pure, shameless fiction.

Likewise, Putin’s Q&A response to a disingenuous public letter by Ukraine’s leader Vladimir Zelensky was certainly not friendly (that, indeed, would be disturbingly inadequate) and, in part, deservedly caustic. But it was also calm and serious, pointing out the Kiev regime’s primitive behind-the-scenes maneuvering (never mentioned in the West, of course) and its blatant dishonesty, as well as their deadening effect on any prospects of genuinely worthwhile negotiations.

What we should really be afraid of in the West with respect to Russia is that our own so-called elites, in politics, the media, and the world of academia and expertise suffer from an apparently incurable epidemic of Russophrenia. They are cynical propagandists constantly trying to brainwash us, which is bad enough. But what is even worse is that all too many among them seem to be unable to stop believing their own nonsense, even when it’s obviously absurd. That is the only possible explanation for a major mainstream newspaper not only printing a fantasy but one so easily to see through. The West has waged information war for so long and so fiercely it has managed to defeat itself.

A 17-year-old girl has been stabbed in the neck in northwest England, just days after a brutal knife attack in Belfast sparked national outrage and anti-immigration riots.

A 30-year-old British-born man of Pakistani heritage was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder following the incident in the town of Brierfield, Lancashire Police said on Saturday. The victim is also of Pakistani heritage, according to the BBC.

Police said officers were called after receiving reports that a teenager had been stabbed on Friday afternoon.

Video footage circulating on social media purports to show the attacker walking up behind the unsuspecting girl, who had was wearing a hood, and stabbing her twice in the neck.

Lancashire Police have confirmed that a 30 year old British born man of Pakistani heritage has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after a 17 year old girl was stabbed in the neck in Brierfield.

Thankfully, the victim’s injuries are not believed to be life… pic.twitter.com/IInxRbvlvt

— Claire Adams (@claire_adams694) June 13, 2026

Oliver Ryan, the MP representing Brierfield, called on people not to “exploit” the incident for clickbait.

“First and foremost, my thoughts are with the young victim of yesterday’s horrific stabbing,” he said in a statement on X on Saturday.

The attack comes at a time of heightened tensions across Britain and Northern Ireland.

The attack sparked several nights of anti-immigration riots across Belfast and other parts of Northern Ireland, with multiple residential buildings, shops, and vehicles set ablaze.

The violence came amid long-running tensions over immigration and asylum policy in the UK, following multiple high-profile murder and rape cases involving migrants in recent years.

The major nuclear danger facing the Middle East originates not from Iran but from Israel, Professor Theodore Postol, a former Science and Policy Adviser on Strategic Nuclear Issues to the Chief of Naval Operations, has told RT. The expert warned that the leadership in West Jerusalem had placed the Jewish state on an increasingly perilous course.

Israel is widely believed to possess an undeclared nuclear arsenal, although authorities in West Jerusalem have consistently refused to either confirm or deny the allegations. The issue of Iran’s nuclear program has served as the justification for launching strikes against Iran earlier this year.

“Do not think Iran is the big nuclear threat, is the big nuclear instability in the Middle East, Israel is,” the prominent MIT physicist said during an interview with Going Underground host Afshin Rattansi, which aired on Friday.

Citing reports, the former strategic adviser to Pentagon said that Israeli military leaders have told PM Benjamin Netanyahu that they “cannot do any more,” adding that the country is suffering heavy troop losses.

Postol said he found Trump’s apparent fear of nuclear weapons somewhat reassuring, describing it as a positive trait. The expert said that Trump is “extremely horrified and afraid of nuclear weapons, which is good,” adding that he believes the head of state would be warned that any decision to use such capabilities would “open a box that none of us want to see opened.”

See the full interview below

A Russia-NATO conflict could kick off “in the relatively near future,” a report by Sweden’s Defense Committee claims. Moscow has repeatedly dismissed speculation that it could attack the US-led military bloc as “nonsense.”

The security paper, released on Friday and endorsed by the Swedish government and all parliamentary parties, brands Russia a “long-term threat” and claims that Moscow could seek to “test NATO’s cohesion and the credibility of Article 5” if it sees “favorable” political conditions. The report does not spell out what those conditions would be.

The document also claims that Moscow could engage in hostilities “even if the military balance of power does not meet traditional requirements for an attack.”

Sweden’s support for Ukraine remains a “central” pillar of its security policy, the document says. Stockholm joined NATO in 2024 after the Ukraine conflict escalated and has been one of Kiev’s most active backers. Last month, it announced plans to donate up to 16 JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets and sell Ukraine 20 more.

Like many other European NATO members, Sweden has been on a militarization spree in recent years. In 2026, the government increased the defense budget to 175 billion SEK (approximately $18.4 billion), up 18% from the previous year, pushing the expenditure to 2.8% of GDP.

Sweden has also, for more than a decade, been militarizing the island of Gotland – widely referred to as an “unsinkable aircraft carrier” in the middle of the Baltic Sea – under the pretext of an alleged “Russia threat.” The island is located less than 300km from Russia’s Kaliningrad exclave.

Russia has repeatedly dismissed speculation by Western countries that it could attack NATO as “not just nonsense, but also provocation and disinformation,” suggesting that EU countries are seeking to portray Moscow as a “model external enemy” to distract attention from internal crises.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, said that available intelligence suggests that “Russia is not looking for a conflict.”

A German court has ruled that Google can be held directly liable for incorrect answers generated by its AI Overview feature, potentially setting a precedent for how AI-generated content is treated under the law. Google said on Friday that it planned to appeal.

Traditionally, platforms such as Google, Facebook, and X argue they merely host or display third-party content rather than publish it, limiting their liability. They have also maintained that warnings about potential inaccuracies should shield them from responsibility for errors in AI-generated outputs.

However, this spring, judges at the Munich Regional Court were asked to rule on two lawsuits filed against the internet giant by local publishers. The companies, whose identities have not been disclosed, alleged that Google’s AI Overview feature – an AI-generated summary introduced last year that appears above traditional search results – falsely linked them to scams, subscription traps, and illegal business practices. According to the lawsuits, the AI mixed information from unrelated companies and created misleading associations that did not appear in the underlying sources.

According to a ruling published by The Decoder this week, the 26th Civil Chamber of the Munich Regional Court, which specializes in press and defamation law, issued a preliminary injunction on May 28 holding Google liable for claims generated by its AI Overviews in the cases. The judges said that, unlike a traditional search engine that displays links to third-party content, Google’s AI produces “independent, new, and substantive statements,” making the content attributable to the company itself.

The judges also dismissed Google’s claim that users understand that AI can be inaccurate and can verify information themselves, describing AI Overviews as “a self-contained statement with independently comprehensible content.”

The court ruled that as Google alone controls the algorithms behind AI Overviews, the company “must be held accountable” for false and defamatory outputs. It ordered Google to stop spreading the claims and bear 80% of the legal costs, with the plaintiffs each responsible for 10%.

Google said it disagreed with the ruling.

“We invest deeply in the quality of AI Overviews to ensure that the overwhelming majority of responses provide accurate information, and they are designed to reflect the information that exists on the web,” a company spokesperson said in a statement to the media.

On Friday, the company told Reuters it planned to appeal, arguing that the case involved “specific and narrow errors” rather than the fundamental operation of AI Overviews.

Legal experts say the decision could have implications beyond Google. If upheld, it could set a precedent by treating AI-generated summaries as publisher-like content, which would make technology companies directly liable for any harms caused by AI, analysts warn.

The EU has repeatedly targeted US tech giants such as Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft with lawsuits and regulatory actions it says are aimed at curbing monopolistic practices and enforcing privacy rules. CNBC reported in April that Meta, Google, and Apple have faced roughly $7 billion in EU fines for antitrust and privacy violations since the start of 2024.

US military forces have downed Iranian drones that were allegedly targeting commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in the early hours of Saturday. The claim comes as Tehran and Washington are seeking to finalize a deal aimed at ending months of tensions and hostilities.

The parties have been engaged in negotiations over a potential peace deal for the past two months, in an effort to end the conflict that began on February 28 with the joint US-Israeli bombing of Iran and the assassination of senior officials, including the country’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

“Iran launched multiple one-way attack drones in an attempt to strike commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz,” CENTCOM said in a post on X. “US forces have downed all of them in recent hours as traffic flow through the strait continues unimpeded.”

The US military added that the corridor remains open for transit.

The waterway, which normally carries around a quarter of the global seaborne oil and LNG trade, has largely remained closed throughout the conflict, although Tehran has allowed ships not aligned with the US or its allies safe passage. US President Donald Trump, however, has claimed that the US military has helped escort over 200 ships through the strait.

On Saturday, Reuters cited a Western source as saying that a deal could be signed by US Vice President J.D. Vance and Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, in Geneva as soon as on Sunday.

The proposed memorandum of understanding calls for reopening the strait and lifting the US naval blockade on Iranian ports, according to sources on all sides of the talks, as cited by the news agency. Negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program – cited by Trump as the justification for the war – would follow.

For the first time, the chances of the US and Iran reaching an agreement are greater than 50%, despite Iran’s lingering distrust of Washington, Tehran-based Professor Seyed Mohammad Marandi told RT.

The comments come after Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Friday: “the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding has never been closer.” In a post on X, Araghchi wrote that the framework awaits finalization, while urging the media not to speculate about the contents.

The memorandum is the working name for a proposed US-Iran framework agreement that emerged from negotiations mediated by Pakistan following talks in Islamabad in April. It reportedly includes provisions to end the war, reopen the Strait of Hormuz, and eventually start detailed negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program.

Trump also said he called off planned strikes on Iran after two consecutive days of bombardment, which marked the most serious escalation since a truce was announced in April.

Marandi said the prospects for an agreement are now better than ever, but added that he “wouldn’t bet on it” because the US has repeatedly proven itself untrustworthy.

Watch the full interview below.

North Korea has condemned Washington’s approval of advanced air-to-air missile sales to South Korea as “war exports,” warning the move would deepen tensions on the Korean peninsula.

In a statement carried by KCNA, a senior North Korean Foreign Ministry official accused Washington and Seoul of “systematically tightening their military collusion and nexus to drive tensions in the Korean peninsula and its vicinity to an extreme,” despite growing international concern over regional instability.

“US arms exports are war exports, and importing American weapons means accumulating tension and confrontation,” the official said, condemning what Pyongyang described as US and South Korean efforts to expand military capabilities at the expense of regional stability.

The statement followed US State Department approval of a nearly $300 million package including 70 AIM-120C-8 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles and related equipment. Washington pitched the sale as advancing US foreign policy and security objectives, though the deal remains subject to congressional review.

“In light of the provocative efforts of the US and its allies to build up their armed forces, the DPRK’s clear position is to eliminate new threats by continuously improving and strengthening its self-defense deterrent,” the official declared, warning Pyongyang will “intensify” efforts to maintain regional military parity and preserve stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The US maintains nearly 30,000 troops in South Korea, extends a nuclear umbrella over its ally, and regularly conducts joint military exercises with Seoul. Washington and Seoul describe these measures as necessary for security and deterrence.

Pyongyang views the US military presence, joint drills, and regional deployments as hostile acts and has long argued that US-South Korean military cooperation amounts to preparation for war. North Korea routinely tests and unveils new weapons, portraying its military buildup as a response to pressure from Washington and its regional allies. It describes its nuclear and missile programs as essential deterrents against foreign interference, insisting they are purely defensive and intended to safeguard sovereignty and preserve peace through strength.

The Pentagon released the third batch of declassified files on unidentified flying objects on Friday. The disclosure adds 72 reports, witness accounts, photos, and videos to an ongoing transparency effort launched under a presidential order earlier this year.

The latest release is part of what officials called a “historic transparency effort” aimed at making public government records related to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), the military’s preferred term for UFOs.

Among the newly released materials are reports describing a “potato-shaped” object observed by military personnel, recurring sightings of glowing orbs, and a CIA account of a rotating disc-like object reportedly seen above Harare International Airport in Zimbabwe in 2008.

The disclosure initiative began in May with the release of around 160 previously classified documents, photographs, and videos from agencies including the Pentagon, FBI, NASA, and the State Department. The second batch followed on May 22, containing additional footage and witness testimony.

In February, US President Donald Trump directed the Department of War to disclose “any and all information” related to UAPs. The order came amid renewed public interest in the subject, which included comments by former President Barack Obama on the possibility of extraterrestrial life.

Obama later said on Instagram that he did not see any evidence during his presidency that extraterrestrials have made contact with Earth. Trump subsequently accused Obama of disclosing classified information and said he “made a big mistake.”

Despite the growing volume of released material, Pentagon officials maintain that the files contain no confirmed evidence of extraterrestrial life, alien technology, or a government cover-up.

The US has said it killed a notorious gang leader in a strike on his compound in Venezuela.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the operation targeting Tren de Aragua leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, known as Nino Guerrero, was carried out earlier this week in full coordination with the Venezuelan authorities.

Hegseth said the operation “underscores the shared US and Venezuelan commitment to take the fight to narco-terrorists and deny them any safe haven in our hemisphere.”

“Guerrero was a wanted fugitive charged by the US Department of Justice with ordering, directing, and facilitating acts of terrorism and violence in the United States,” US Southern Command chief General Francis Donovan said.

US President Donald Trump hailed the operation as part of his effort to combat violent crime in the US.

“This action was coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela, with whom we are working very well,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Guerrero was sentenced to 17 years in prison in 2018 on charges including murder, drug trafficking, identity theft, and possession of military-grade weapons, but escaped from a Venezuelan prison in 2023.

Earlier this year, the US carried out a commando raid in Caracas, abducting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were indicted by a Manhattan court on drug and firearms charges. Both pleaded not guilty, and the Venezuelan government condemned the operation as an act of aggression.

Since September 2025, US strikes on alleged cartel boats in the Caribbean have killed more than 200 people. Venezuelan and Colombian officials called the operations illegal, saying some of the victims were innocent fishermen.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said control over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz will not return to its pre-war status.

Araghchi made the remarks as the US and Iran finalize a deal to end the conflict, which began on February 28 with joint US-Israeli bombardments of Iranian territory and the assassination of senior officials, including the country’s longtime supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.

The waterway, which normally handles around a quarter of the world’s seaborne oil and LNG trade, has largely remained closed throughout the war, although President Donald Trump said the US military has helped guide more than 200 ships through the strait.

“The Strait of Hormuz lies under the sovereignty of Iran and Oman. The administration of the waterway will not return to its pre-war arrangement. Iran and Oman will soon issue a joint statement outlining a new framework for the administration of the Strait of Hormuz,” Araghchi said on Friday, according to Iranian media.

Araghchi said that, under the memorandum of understanding awaiting final approval, the US would, “for the first time in 47 years,” commit to respecting Iran’s sovereignty and non-interference in its domestic affairs. The agreement would also declare an end to the conflict on all fronts, including Lebanon, he said.

He added that the memorandum would give the two sides 60 days to negotiate the fate of Iran’s nuclear program once it is signed.

Iran declared the strait closed to all ships in response to US strikes on Tuesday and Wednesday. Trump later said he called off the attack in an effort to advance peace talks, expressing confidence that an agreement could be signed as early as this weekend.

Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, was illuminated in the white, blue, and red colors of the Russian flag on Thursday in honor of Russia Day.

The public holiday commemorates the Declaration of State Sovereignty adopted by the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, then part of the Soviet Union, on June 12, 1990. The Soviet Union was formally dissolved the following year in December. The current version of Russia’s tricolor flag was adopted in 1993.

People across Russia celebrate the holiday by displaying the national flag and setting off fireworks. Concerts, festivals, and exhibitions are held in cities across the country.

The United States also marked the occasion with a message published on the State Department’s website. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the country remains committed to advancing a settlement to the Ukraine conflict and hopes that “a durable peace will pave the way toward a more prosperous future for the Russian people and a more constructive relationship between our two countries.”

At least one person has been killed and 11 others wounded after a gunman went on a shooting spree in Midland, Texas, Mayor Lori Blong said in a press briefing on Friday.

“We do have 11 known victims at this time,” she said. “There’s at least one victim that is dead on the scene.”

The police have confirmed that the gunman is also dead.

Officers initially responded to reports of an active shooter in the southwestern part of the city on Friday morning, according to the Midland Police Department.

“Officers heard gunfire coming from the building and worked quickly to secure and clear the area. Armored units were deployed, and partner agencies assisted in the response,” Midland Police Chief Greg Snow said in a statement, adding that attempts had been made to resolve the “standoff with the shooter” safely.

The police department later reported that “the suspect is confirmed deceased” and that the incident was over.

A video circulating on social media purportedly shows several officers taking cover behind a police cruiser, with one leaning out to fire an assault rifle.

🚨#Breaking Ector County Sheriff Mike Griffis has confirmed an active shooter in #Midland Texas; the suspect is reportedly barricaded in a building in downtown Midland near the Tall City Vet Clinic and All American Collision and Victorian Inn in the area of Business 20 and…

— CodeThreeNews (@CodeThreeNews) June 12, 2026

Nine victims were taken to Midland Memorial Hospital, CNN reported, citing a statement from the hospital’s spokesperson.

Four Palestine Action activists convicted of causing criminal damage to an Israeli arms plant in the UK have been sentenced as terrorists due to the blacklisting of their organization. Dozens of the group’s supporters were arrested outside the courthouse as the verdicts were read out.

The defendants took part in a raid on an Elbit Systems factory near Bristol in 2024. After ramming the gate with a decommissioned prison van, they destroyed computers, drones, and other equipment inside, causing around £1.2 million ($1.6 million) in damage.

Charlotte Head, 30, Samuel Corner, 23, Leona Kamio, 30, and Fatema Zainab Rajwani, 21, were found guilty of criminal damage last month, with Corner also convicted of inflicting grievous bodily harm on a police officer with a sledgehammer.

Handing down the sentences on Friday, Mr. Justice Johnson said that due to the “terrorist connection” of the offenses, all four would receive harsh punishment. None of the four were charged with terror-related offenses, and by sentencing them as terrorists, Johnson set a new precedent in British law.

Head and Kamio were jailed for six years, Rajwani for five years and eight months, and Corner for eight years and eight months.

Palestine Action, a protest group whose members have vandalized British military equipment and Israeli-linked sites, was declared a proscribed organization by the British government last July. The decision placed Palestine Action in the same category as Al Qaeda and the IRA, and criminalized public displays of support for the organization.

As the sentences were handed down, several hundred Palestine Action supporters protested outside Woolwich Crown Court in London. Police arrested more than 100 demonstrators for holding signs and placards endorsing the group.

There’s been 107 arrests of Palestine Action supporters outside Woolwich Crown Court here today as protesters await the sentencing of four of the Filton 25 who took direct action against Elbit Systems. Judge today said there was a “terrorist connection”. pic.twitter.com/PiyVlKgOeA

— Asa Winstanley (@AsaWinstanley) June 12, 2026

The proscription was ruled unlawful by London’s High Court in February, although the designation remains in force pending a final judgment.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is using “crude lies” to justify Washington’s continued pressure on Cuba, the island nation’s foreign minister, Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla, has said following the latest round of American sanctions.

The US Department of State announced restrictions against the Cuban state oil and gas company, CUPET, on Thursday. Washington has stepped up its pressure campaign against the island nation in a bid to force a regime change, while US President Donald Trump called it a “question of time.” 

Cuba, which has been under a US embargo since 1960, also endured daily blackouts and severe fuel deficits in recent months after Venezuela – its main oil supplier – stopped crude shipments under pressure from Washington.

On Thursday, the State Department added CUPET to the sanctions list, arguing that the company’s “key assets” were “unlawfully expropriated from American owners years ago.” Rubio also said in a statement that the Cuban government had “weaponized” the energy by allegedly “hoarding” it for the military while rationing it for the general population.

Rubio – himself a descendant of Cuban immigrants who left the island several years before the revolution led by Fidel Castro – is acting on “vengeful sentiments of the elitist clique that propelled his political career,” Parrilla stated.

On Wednesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk warned that the US sanctions on Cuba had already led to acute shortages of essential medical supplies that were causing deaths among children.

The UN official described the plight of ordinary Cubans as “unacceptable” as his office reported that infant mortality on the island had doubled after the US imposed its fuel blockage.

Russia, China, Mexico, and several other countries have been supplying Cuba with humanitarian aid. Moscow sent a shipment of around 700,000 barrels of crude oil in late March.

A South Korean court has sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison, Yonhap news agency has reported. Judges reportedly found that he ordered drones to be sent into North Korea in order to inflame tensions and create a pretext for his declaration of martial law.

Yoon declared martial law in December of 2024, citing legislative gridlock and what he described as a plot by pro-Pyongyang forces within the South Korean political establishment. The nation’s parliament formally overturned the decree within hours despite attempts by police and soldiers to stop lawmakers from accessing the National Assembly building.

Yoon was impeached just over a week later, suspended from office, and formally removed from power by the Constitutional Court months later.

Yoon’s former defense minister, Kim Yong-hyun, was also sentenced to 30 years in prison for his role in the plot, while former Defense Counterintelligence Command chief Yeo In-hyung received a 15-year sentence.

Friday’s sentence adds to Yoon’s growing list of convictions.

Yoon’s downfall follows a long pattern of legal persecution of former South Korean leaders.

Four of his predecessors had received prison sentences after leaving office. Among them were Chun Doo-hwan, Roh Tae-woo, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, although several were later pardoned.

US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has released new evidence that US-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine were researching dangerous pathogens. Washington previously denied any role in running these labs.

Published on Friday, the declassified documents reveal that the US “built and supported” 40 biolabs in Ukraine, which worked with “especially dangerous pathogens” including anthrax, avian flu, Ebola, plague, and tuberculosis. At least 12 of these laboratories were carrying out human research.

Some of the laboratories were engaged in so-called ‘gain of function’ research, a controversial practice whereby animal viruses are modified to increase their virulence and transmissibility to study their effects on humans.

The partially-redacted documents state that the US paid for the construction and equipping of at least four laboratories, at a total cost of more than $9 million. They also reveal that these laboratories carried out research on behalf of and in collaboration with the US Department of Food and Agriculture, the US Army, the World Health Organization, the UN, and multiple US universities. Metabiota, a biotech company part-owned by Hunter Biden’s investment firm, is also listed as a partner.

What did Russia say about the biolabs?

Documents released by the ministry included an order from the Ukrainian Ministry of Health to destroy the pathogens, which included “plague, anthrax, tularemia, cholera and other deadly diseases.”

After reviewing thousands of pages of documents seized from labs in Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov of the Russian Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces concluded in 2023 that “the US, under the guise of ensuring global biosecurity, conducted dual-use research, including the creation of biological weapons components, in close proximity to Russian borders.” Kirillov led Russia’s investigation into the labs until he was assassinated in 2024, allegedly by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).

Among the facilities mentioned by the ministry was the Institute of Veterinary Medicine in Kharkov. The Russian military accused Ukraine of researching potential biological weapons in the institute’s basement. According to Gabbard’s documents, the facility did have a basement level, where anthrax and brucella bacteria were stored. Both are considered bioweapons due to their extreme infectivity and capacity to cause debilitating illness.

Did the US deny that the biolabs existed?

Back in March 2022, then-US Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland admitted under oath that “Ukraine has biological research facilities.” However, Nuland denied that these facilities worked on biological weapons, and insisted that “the United States does not own or operate any chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine.”

The US State Department claimed that “the Kremlin is intentionally spreading outright lies that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine,” while the then-US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, stated that “there are no Ukrainian biological weapons laboratories supported by the United States.”

What is Tulsi Gabbard doing about the biolabs?

“Despite the obvious potential for catastrophic global impact research on dangerous pathogens in biolabs can have, politicians, so-called health professionals like Dr. Fauci, and entities within the Biden administration’s national security team lied to the American people about the existence of US-funded and supported biolabs, and threatened those who attempted to expose the truth,” Gabbard said in a statement on Friday.

Gabbard said that she has issued new guidance to US intelligence agencies on collection of data from the laboratories in Ukraine, and from the broader network of US-linked biolabs around the world. At present, her office is collecting “new details on clinical trials that are underway at these facilities, raising significant ethical, financial, and security concerns,” her statement read.

However, Gabbard will not be in a position to act on this intelligence for much longer. Following her husband’s diagnosis with a rare form of bone cancer last month, Gabbard announced that she would retire at the end of June. President Donald Trump announced on Thursday that he would nominate US attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, to replace Gabbard as DNI. Clayton has never commented publicly on the biolabs issue.

Attorneys for Tyler Robinson, who is accused of murdering conservative activist Charlie Kirk, asked a Utah judge on Friday to bar prosecutors from seeking the death penalty as a sanction for what they described as a “media tour” concerning a bullet fragment recovered from Kirk’s body.

The request came as Robinson’s lawyers sought to hold prosecutors in contempt for allegedly violating restrictions on public comments about the case.

The dispute centers on forensic evidence revealed by defense attorneys in March that suggested a bullet jacket fragment recovered from Kirk’s body could not be conclusively matched to the rifle allegedly used in the killing.

The filing generated widespread media coverage and fueled speculation that Robinson could ultimately be exonerated.

Kirk, a conservative activist, podcaster, and co-founder of Turning Point USA, was shot in the neck and killed at an event on a Utah college campus in September 2025.

Robinson was arrested two days later. Investigators linked him to a modified Mauser Model 98 rifle found near the scene. Prosecutors say DNA matching Robinson’s was recovered from the weapon’s trigger. The authorities have also cited text messages allegedly exchanged with Robinson’s transgender lover in which he confessed to the killing and detailed the plot.

Also on Friday, Graf declined a defense request to halt the proceedings while Robinson’s team appeals an earlier order allowing cameras in court.

The defense argues that extensive televised coverage of witness testimony and evidence presented during the upcoming preliminary hearing in July could make it more difficult to seat an impartial jury. Graf rejected the concerns, noting that much of the information the defense considers sensitive is already public. Jury selection will not begin until after the hearing concludes and the court rules on outstanding motions.

Repairing the Nord Stream gas pipelines would take 36 months provided funding could be secured and no delays were encountered, according to a technical report submitted to the High Court in London.

The report was commissioned by the court, which is currently weighing an insurance dispute between the pipeline’s operator, Nord Stream AG, and Lloyd’s Insurance Company and Arch Insurance. The two insurers are refusing to pay a €580 million ($684 million) claim to the operator, arguing that the pipelines were damaged as a “consequence of war,” which the insurance policy did not cover

The report concluded that the pipelines could be repaired in 36 months, an operation that would necessitate the purchase of some 7 km of new pipeline from China for €16.7 million, Russia’s RBK News reported on Thursday.

The insurers have argued that two Russian pipelaying vessels could be used in the repair operation to drive down costs. Nord Stream AG has challenged this, arguing that the vessels are now located near Vladivostok on Russia’s east coast, and relocating them to the Baltic Sea would increase the total repair bill.

Both of the individual pipelines making up the Nord Stream 1 project and one of the two lines comprising Nord Stream 2 were destroyed in a series of underwater explosions off the Danish island of Bornholm on September 26, 2022. Nord Stream 1 transported Russian gas to Germany since its opening in 2011, while Nord Stream 2 was completed in 2021, but had its certification revoked by Berlin in 2022, several days before Russia’s military operation in Ukraine began.

German investigators have reportedly settled on the theory that the pipelines were destroyed by Ukrainian saboteurs, but American journalist Seymour Hersh maintains that they were blown up by the CIA and US Navy. The head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), Sergey Naryshkin, has blamed “professional saboteurs from the Anglo-American special services,” referring to the US and UK.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that the US – which has been trying to pressure Europe into swapping Russian gas for pricier American liquefied natural gas (LNG) for two decades – had the most to gain from the destruction of the pipelines.

So the Baltic and Nordic countries recently hosted a regional summit. And Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky dropped by, having apparently traded his lawn ops uniform for that of a nightclub bouncer.

If the Western press is to be believed, he was there to “share drone technology” with them. Who better to lead their defense initiatives than a guy who keeps crashing his drones into their countries? 

The Associated Press headlined that Zelensky says he’s now “ready” to open his great lockbox of wisdom. So reading all this, you’d think that he’d been summonsed there as some sort of sage, who has technological knowledge that these European nations simply cannot be without or otherwise procure. The Ukrainians themselves are scrambling so hard to be a part of this success that it now takes a literal army of recruiters with shovels to pry them away from their TVs these days. Can’t really blame them – special events are always better on TV than in person: Taylor Swift, Woodstock, wars…

The Western press has been making much of Ukraine’s drone expertise, with the talking point now being that the student, Ukraine, has now become the master. All the biggest and best-paid weapons development minds on the planet working for Western defense contractors, endlessly flush with taxpayer generosity – and we’re supposed to believe that none can hold a candle to Ukraine and its drones.

The goal of defense contractors is to make money – not to win wars. Wars are inevitably won these days by lower tech guerrilla warfare, despite always beginning with an opening act of big-gun shock and awe.

It’s not that Ukraine has special tech that the major players can’t produce – it’s that the big guys can’t see a profit motive for doing so, compared to providing their more conventional hardware. The day that they do, they won’t need Ukraine or Zelensky.

But this notion of the West needing Ukraine for its defense conveniently provides a nice excuse to keep the cash flowing from Europe into this concept of Ukraine being the frontline defender of all of Europe.

Small problem, though. They can’t seem to control their own weapons when the Western training wheels come off their operations.

Western officials have been pretty careful when talking about drones straying into the Baltics and Nordics, routinely neglecting to mention the actual citizenship of these drones. Clearly it’s because they’re Ukrainian and it’s inconvenient to include that minor detail when they’re trying to make the Ukrainians look like weapons geniuses. So instead, these Western officials keep spinning that aggravating fact by specifying that the stray drones are from the conflict with Russia – an elegant obfuscation.

“Russia changes direction of the drones by different systems, including systems of electronic warfare… They can change the direction to divide us in Europe,” Zelensky said, ignoring the reality that Ukraine is officially about as much a part of “Europe” as Russia is at this point. Which is the first, but not last, clue that this summit may as well have taken place in Narnia.

So they’re all saying that it’s Russia’s fault that Ukrainian drones ended up in Europe, insinuating that Russia has the technological ability to “push” drones that aren’t Russian wherever they want, kind of like Yoda from Star Wars who can move stuff at will – except this version apparently only works when the plot needs it to. Because on the other hand, when it comes to redirecting those same Ukrainian drones away from Russia and Russian interests, Moscow mysteriously loses that magical ability.

Meanwhile, it sounds like the Finnish prime minister is trying out a new remix of these talking points, but just ends up looking and sounding like a dad on parent-teacher day trying to defend their screwup of a kid, and promising that they’re working on the situation at home. Like, “We’ve had a talk, and we’re making sure that he’s getting the tutoring that he needs.” Also, like most parents of cockups, they think that he’s a budding genius who has a lot to teach grownups – and everyone needs to indulge this fantasy.

“We understand that drones spilling into our airspace have been part of Ukraine’s self-defense. And Ukraine has a right to defend itself. So because we are unhappy about these incidents, we have very good dialogue about this with President Zelensky – thank you for that. And we are working together,” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said.

Are any of these officials claiming that Russian is doing voodoo on Ukrainian drones ever going to give us a PowerPoint on how that actually works scientifically? Or are they just going to keep treating us like we’re dumb sheep who take everything they say at face value despite constantly lying to us?

Because the actual European military scientists that I’ve spoken with say that their latest claims are a total farce. Any interest in proving them wrong? Or is ‘Russian drone interference’ the new ‘Russian hackers’ – smoke and mirrors to propagandize the cause of the moment against the enemy du jour?

No wonder the Ukrainian drones are confused. Maybe they’ve been taking piloting lessons from EU narratives.

Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa has lifted an embargo on arms sales to Israel after allegedly enlisting the help of an Israeli private intelligence firm to oust his left-wing, pro-Palestine predecessor.

Jansa’s government announced the decision on Thursday, adding that it would also overturn an entry ban on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.

“This will restore the conditions for a normal political dialog with Israel,” the Slovenian Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that the move would help “strengthen the role of the Republic of Slovenia in the efforts to achieve a lasting peace in the Middle East.”

Former Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob barred the export of military goods to Israel and banned the import of goods from illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank in August. One year earlier, he had recognized the State of Palestine and declared Israel’s war on Gaza to be “genocide.”

The videos, which Black Cube admitted to filming, weakened Golob’s standing ahead of the election, but Svoboda managed to beat Jansa’s Slovenian Democratic Party by a margin of 0.67%. However, Golob’s coalition lost its majority and was unable to form a government. Jansa, who served three previous stints as Slovenia’s prime minister, built a right-wing coalition and took office last week.

Slovenia’s Intelligence and Security Agency (SOVA) has since determined that Black Cube deliberately attempted to “influence democratic elections” by releasing the videos. “This interference was most likely commissioned from within Slovenia,” the agency concluded, without directly accusing Jansa of hiring the Israeli spies.

While it is unclear whether the Israeli government knew about or officially sanctioned Black Cube’s work in Slovenia, Israeli officials welcomed Jansa’s return to office and reversal of Golob’s policies.

“I commend Slovenian PM Janez Jansa for his swift and just decision to lift the distorted anti-Israeli measures taken by Slovenia’s previous government,” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar wrote on X on Thursday, hailing Jansa as “a bold leader and a true friend of Israel.”

Two Brazilian football players from Russian club CSKA Moscow have been targeted by the pro-Kiev Mirotvorets (‘Peacemaker’) website, which publishes personal details of individuals it deems ‘enemies’ of Ukraine.

Matheus Reis de Lima, 31, and Joao Victor da Silva Marcelino, 27, as well as their Russian teammates Danila Kozlov and Vladislav Tropo, were added to the controversial database on Thursday, according to media reports.

The moderators of the website accused the athletes of supporting the Russian military and infringing upon Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

According to Mirotvorets, they were blacklisted for participating in an action, entitled ‘Everyone Matters’, organized by one of the sponsors before a Russian Cup match between CSKA and FC Krasnodar in March, and raised money for the rehabilitation of Russian servicemen who participated in the Ukraine conflict.

Matheus Reis spent five years with one of the top Portuguese sides Sporting Lisbon before joining CSKA this winter. Joao Victor competed for Benfica in Portugal and Nantes in France after arriving in Europe from Brazil. Both of the players are defenders.

Launched in 2014, Mirotvorets is nominally independent, but the site is closely linked to Ukrainian state security services and has been branded a ‘kill list’, as several people listed on it – including journalists and politicians – have later been killed or died under suspicious circumstances. Russian officials have denounced the database as extremist.

A number of sports figures appeared on the database following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022, with some recent additions being members of Russia’s team at the 2026 Winter Paralympics and the president of football’s world governing body, FIFA, Gianni Infantino, who criticized the ban on Russian athletes

Residents of EU countries will ultimately suffer from the bloc’s decision to cut economic relations with Russia, a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) representing Slovakia, Judita Lassakova, has said.

She spoke to the news agency TASS during the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) last week; the interview was published by the agency on Friday.

“This will not end well,” she said about the sweeping economic restrictions imposed by Brussels on Moscow since the escalation of the Ukraine in February 2022.

“We live on the same planet, and by erecting walls and borders, we only distance ourselves from each other and destroy the last remaining channels of communication. And all this will lead to situations that will ultimately harm ordinary citizens, the people,” the MEP warned.

Despite the refusal to purchase energy from Russia straining the EU’s economy, Brussels announced its 21st sanctions package against the country earlier this week.

“Of course, it’s high time to start listening to common sense” when it comes to dealing with Russia, she stressed, singling out Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico as “one of those sensible voices” in the EU.

After returning to power in 2023, Fico stopped Bratislava’s military supplies to Kiev and consistently called for the removal of sanctions targeting Russia and restoration of ties between Brussels and Moscow. He was the only EU leader to attend this year’s Victory Day parade on Red Square on May 9.

Officials in Moscow have repeatedly decried the EU’s restrictions as an illegal attempt to contain Russia’s long-term development.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said recently that although the sanctions have had some “negative impact” on the Russian economy, the country has “gained significant experience in minimizing their effects.”

An Israeli cyber company suspected of interfering in French local elections and targeting pro-Palestinian candidates also allegedly meddled in votes in New York City and Scotland and ran operations in Angola and Togo, officials in Paris have said.

Last month, a Reuters report claimed that French authorities believed Israeli firm BlackCore was behind an online smear campaign targeting three French mayoral candidates from the left-wing, pro-Palestine France Unbowed party (LFI) – in Marseille, Toulouse, and Roubaix – ahead of March local elections.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez later confirmed that a probe was underway but would not reveal the focus of the investigation.

On Thursday, France’s government disinformation detection agency, Viginum, suggested that BlackCore may have been operating well beyond France.

Viginum said it detected BlackCore-linked accounts targeting John Swinney, the first minister of Scotland, who has described Israel’s campaign in Gaza as a “man-made humanitarian catastrophe” and said a genocide may be unfolding in the Palestinian enclave.

The Viginum chief acknowledged that the probe “did not make it possible to identify the sponsor or sponsors, if indeed they exist, behind this foreign digital interference.” However, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Paris had asked Israel for explanations on BlackCore’s actions and for help identifying whoever may have been behind the smear campaign.

BlackCore has described itself as “an elite influence, cyber, and technology company built for the modern era of information warfare” that provided governments and political campaigns with “cutting-edge strategies, advanced tools and robust security to shape narratives.” After press scrutiny, its website and LinkedIn page went offline.

The controversy comes against the backdrop of increasingly strained France-Israel ties, with Paris condemning West Jerusalem over its strikes in Lebanon, a former French mandate territory, which have led to mounting civilian casualties.

France has also barred Israel’s right-wing national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, from entering the country, after he posted a video of himself taunting blindfolded and zip-tied activists from the Global Sumud Gaza aid flotilla, which included French citizens.

The Canadian government has proposed a bill that would ban social media for children under the age of 16, with potential exemptions for platforms that demonstrate “sufficient safeguards.”

Ottawa unveiled the proposed legislation, dubbed the Safe Social Media Act, in a press release on Wednesday.

If passed, social media platforms would be required to implement age verification and reduce children’s exposure to harmful content, including child sexual exploitation, non-consensual intimate imagery, self-harm promotion, bullying, hate, violence, and terrorist or extremist material.

The bill would also regulate AI chatbots, requiring them to “mitigate the risk” of harmful outputs, and require better reporting from platforms in crisis situations, such as when users communicate intent to harm themselves or others.

A new digital safety regulator would be established to oversee and enforce the rules.

The bill comes amid growing international efforts to regulate children’s online activity.

Late last year, Australia became the first nation to ban children under 16 from accessing major social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Brazil and Indonesia introduced their own restrictions in May.

Social media giants such as Meta Platforms, TikTok, and YouTube have come under growing scrutiny in recent months, including in a landmark product liability trial in Los Angeles over allegations that they deliberately designed their platforms to be addictive for children.

Court filings have also alleged that Meta’s Facebook failed to adequately police accounts involved in the sexual exploitation and trafficking of minors, with some illicit content reportedly remaining online until after 16 violations had been recorded.

Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta has urged Ukraine to program its maritime drones to self-destruct if they veer into the country’s territorial waters.

The official made the remarks after a drifting Magura-type kamikaze naval drone exploded in Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta on Friday, while two others detonated at sea about 145 km (90 miles) east of the city. The Ukrainian Navy blamed Russian signal jamming for the incidents.

Speaking on TVR on Thursday, Miruta said that “maritime drones can be programmed so that, if control is lost, they are unable to enter Romanian territorial waters and will self-destruct once they are 12 nautical miles from the coast.”

“This should be a default feature built into the system from the moment the drone is launched into the water,” he added.

Earlier this month, a Turkish fishing vessel was attacked and sunk near Crimea, leaving one sailor dead. On June 5, UAVs struck two cargo ships in the Sea of Azov, killing four Azerbaijani nationals on board. Moscow said Ukraine was behind the attack.

In November 2025, Türkiye condemned Ukrainian attacks on tankers within its exclusive economic zone, saying they posed “serious risks to navigation, life, property and environmental safety in the region.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said there had been at least 11 confirmed incidents involving Ukrainian drones on NATO territory over the previous three months. She argued that Western states were engaging in “political self-harm” by continuing to send weapons to Kiev.

Russia has no plans to attack NATO territory, the bloc’s senior military commander has said, despite warnings from some European officials that members should prepare for a potential armed clash with Moscow.

Individual NATO member states have adopted plans to drastically increase their defense spending since 2022, citing the Ukraine conflict. Russia, however, has repeatedly stated that it would not attack the US-led bloc unless attacked first.

“I’ve watched the intelligence very closely,” General Alexus Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), said during a panel discussion at the ILA Berlin Air Show on Thursday, as cited by the Financial Times.

“Russia is not looking for a conflict… They do understand the term ‘defensive alliance,’ and they do understand that we have a number of asymmetric advantages,” the general added.

Some officials in the West have expressed concern that Washington has been distracted by the protracted conflict with Iran, and that US President Donald Trump’s recent plan to reduce the number of American troops stationed in Germany would send “the wrong signal” to Russia.

Czech President Petr Pavel also recently urged the bloc to “show its teeth,” while Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys argued that NATO must demonstrate its readiness to “break into” Russia’s Kaliningrad Region, an exclave on the Baltic Sea. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned these statements as “borderline crazy” and evidence of “maniacal” hostility toward Russia.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again denied any intention of invading NATO territory.

“What reason would we have to attack Europe and wage war against NATO? As I have said before, it is not only pure insanity but also a deliberate provocation,” he said.

Former German Navy chief, retired Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach, warned earlier this week that the EU could “sleepwalk into the role of a belligerent.” Peace and stability in Europe can only be achieved “with, and not against, Russia,” he said.

Polish officials from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party have urged the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia to rename a street honoring Stepan Bandera, the nationalist leader whose movement was responsible for the massacre of more than 100,000 Poles during World War II.

Relations between Poland and Ukraine have soured since late May, when Vladimir Zelensky named a commando unit after the “Heroes of the UPA,” the military wing of Bandera’s Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN).

On Thursday, council members in the Polish city of Kielce urged their chairman to formally ask Vinnytsia to remove Bandera’s name from the street, describing it as a “blemish” on Polish-Ukrainian relations. The street, formerly named after Leo Tolstoy, was renamed in 2022 as part of Ukraine’s broader campaign to eliminate Russian-linked place names.

“In Poland, Stepan Bandera and the legacy of the OUN-UPA are unequivocally associated with mass crimes against defenseless civilians,” the officials wrote in a letter published on the broadcaster Telewizja Swietokrzyska’s website.

Polish historians and public consider the OUN leader to be “unequivocally responsible for the genocide of Polish civilians, including in Volhynia,” they added.

The latest dispute comes amid worsening ties between Poland and Ukraine following the “Heroes of the UPA” controversy. Despite the backlash, Kiev has no plans to rename the military unit, Liga.net reported on Thursday, citing a government source.

Moscow has long maintained that the current government in Kiev glorifies Nazis at the state level. Russia has repeatedly stated that the “denazification” of Ukraine remains one of its key objectives and conditions for a peace settlement in the conflict.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei has denied US President Donald Trump’s claim that the country’s leadership has approved a preliminary peace deal.

The remarks came after Trump said on Thursday that a settlement could be signed as early as this weekend, likely in Europe, and that Iranian Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the terms.

The president said he had called off “scheduled” strikes on Iran after two consecutive days of bombardment, which marked the biggest escalation since a truce was announced in April.

Speaking to Iranian media on Thursday, Baghaei described recent reports as “speculation,” adding that “the relevant authorities must review every detail of the text.”

Axios reported on Friday, citing diplomatic sources, that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) discussed by negotiators calls for an immediate reopening of the Strait of Hormuz by Iran without any tolls, and for some US sanctions relief based on compliance by Tehran.

Washington will also lift its blockade of Iranian ports, which would allow shipping via the key waterway, which accounts for around 20% of global crude oil trade, to fully resume within 30 days, the sources said.

It’s unclear if the draft MOU addresses the issue of Iranian assets frozen by the West, the outlet added.

Iran has repeatedly insisted that its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and rejected Trump’s demand that it hand over its enriched uranium.

If the MOU ends up being signed, it will be called the ‘Islamabad Agreement’ due to mediation by Pakistan and Qatar, Axios claimed.

On Thursday, Iran’s Fars news agency reported that Tehran considers as legitimate targets “all interests related to economic holdings managed by Elon Musk” in the Middle East, including a regional Starlink ground station. Musk’s satellite internet plays a key role in the US military operation against Iran, being used to carry out strikes with high-tech ordnance and direct surveillance drones. The Iranian military previously warned other US tech companies, including Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Google.

This week’s resumption of hostilities triggered another spike in global oil prices as the US continues to grapple with high inflation and the war with Iran remains unpopular with the American public. Trump has repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that his team was close to reaching a deal with the Iranians, but no breakthrough materialized.

The EU appears to be willing to sacrifice both the well-being of its people and its own fiscal stability for the sake of military buildup justified by an alleged Russian threat. The bloc’s members push forward with their defense budget increase plans despite record debt levels, with some of them also implementing major social spending cuts.

French President Emmanuel Macron vowed last year to double the nation’s military budget by 2027, accelerating the original plan to do so by 2030. Paris is implementing the scheme despite its government’s debt reaching 115.6% of its GDP, according to the European Commission data. The nation has the third-worst debt-to-GDP ratio in the euro zone, behind only Greece and Italy.

The cumulative debt-to-GDP ratio of the euro zone is also projected to surpass 90% next year, according to a report by the European Fiscal Board this week.

Germany has an economy that is reeling from the two-year-long recession of 2023-2024 and is projected to grow by a mere 0.5% in 2026. It is still clinging to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s vision of making its army the “strongest” conventional force on the continent to allegedly stand up to a looming Russian threat – something that ordinary Germans appear to be increasingly skeptical about.

Watch the full report here:

US President Donald Trump has cancelled planned strikes on Iran, saying talks with the Islamic Republic are moving forward with the country’s top leadership. The announcement came just hours after he again threatened to hit Iran “very hard.” 

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have surged in recent days despite a nominal ceasefire agreed in April. The US launched strikes on Iran on Wednesday after a US AH‑64 Apache helicopter was lost near the Strait of Hormuz – an incident Washington blamed on Tehran. Iran denied responsibility and responded with a missile barrage targeting American bases in the region.

In a post on Truth Social on Thursday, Trump said the “scheduled strikes and bombings” had been canceled because of negotiations “brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved.” He said “discussions and final points” had been agreed by all sides involved, including the US, Israel, Saudi Arabia and several other regional states.

🚨 President Donald J. Trump on cancelled scheduled strikes against Iran. pic.twitter.com/iIijh6j5m2

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 11, 2026

The US‑led naval blockade of Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz “will remain in full force,” Trump added. 

Earlier in the day, the US president had vowed to hit Iran “very hard tonight” and “at some point” seek to take control of Kharg Island and other oil infrastructure, stating that Washington could “assume total control of their oil and gas markets.”

The European Commission should have revealed the details of its Covid-19 vaccine contracts with drugmakers to the public, an adviser to the EU’s highest court has declared. Among the contracts was a deal with Pfizer that commission President Ursula von der Leyen negotiated via text message.

In an opinion published on Thursday, Advocate General Athanasios Rantos argued that the commission’s insistence on secrecy made it impossible to know whether its vaccine negotiators had any conflicts of interest with the pharmaceutical companies that they procured the shots from.

The commission signed six advance purchase agreements with pharmaceutical companies – including Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Moderna – between 2020 and 2021. The contracts were worth a combined €71 billion ($82 billion).

When Green MEPs and more than 3,000 members of the public demanded information about the negotiation process, the commission redacted the names of all of its negotiators and many of the contract clauses. The commission’s lawyers have argued that these redactions were made to protect the negotiators from “conspiracy theorists.”

Last year, the court ruled against von der Leyen in the ‘Pfizergate’ case, which centered around her negotiations with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla. In 2021, von der Leyen told the New York Times that she had been negotiating a €35 billion deal for 900 million Covid vaccine doses with Bourla via sms messages.

The newspaper sued for access to the messages, arguing that von der Leyen could have used sms messaging to bypass EU transparency laws. The commission claimed that the messages had been lost, but the court ruled last May that the EU’s executive body failed to provide “credible explanations enabling the public and the Court to understand why those documents cannot be found.”

Von der Leyen survived a no-confidence vote initiated by right-wing parties in the European Parliament over the scandal last July.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has ruled out mixed-gender tank crews in a pilot program that would allow women to serve in frontline armored units, following objections from influential rabbis, according to media reports. 

Several Religious Zionist rabbis have reportedly opposed the initiative on religious grounds, warning they would discourage enlistment if it proceeds. 

In response to the criticism, the IDF said on Wednesday that tank crews would remain single sex, while insisting it “needs every male and female combat soldier,” according to the Times of Israel. 

The IDF added that more than two years of fighting on multiple fronts had placed a “significant burden” on reserve forces. 

Since the October 2023 Hamas attack, the IDF has been fighting in Gaza while also carrying out military operations in southern Lebanon, exchanging direct strikes with Iran, and trading missile and drone attacks with Yemen’s Houthis. 

The military has publicly acknowledged a shortage of troops and reportedly said it urgently needs around 12,000 additional recruits, mostly to fill combat roles. 

The rabbis’ opposition was outlined in an open letter criticizing the court’s decision. They argued that integrating women into armored formations would conflict with religious norms and called on the military to assign religiously observant recruits to alternative army jobs. 

Many members of the Religious Zionist community serve in the Armored Corps and other frontline units through the so-called Hesder program, which combines religious studies with military service. 

Despite the IDF’s statement, Israeli media reported on Thursday that additional religious institutions had joined the campaign against the integration of units.

Some councils in England have advised residents not to attach the national flag, St. George’s Cross, to public property, citing safety rules, community-cohesion concerns, and the need to maintain a welcoming environment, local media have reported.

The warning comes ahead of the World Cup, which kicks off on Thursday. England is set to play its first match, against Croatia, on June 17.

The debate widened on Wednesday when the Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB), which oversees prisons and immigration detention facilities, published a report warning that England flag badges worn by staff at detention centers could be perceived by detainees as a sign of “bias or even intimidation,” particularly in the light of recent anti-immigration protests in which flag displays were prominent.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage seized on the debate, writing on Facebook: “Do you wear an England badge? Do you fly an England flag outside your home? According to our political class, you are now intimidating migrants!”

The controversy has its roots in the ‘Operation Raise the Colours’ campaign, which is believed to have emerged in Birmingham in August 2025 before spreading across England. Supporters said the initiative was intended to promote patriotism and national pride by attaching St. George’s Cross and Union flags to lampposts, bridges, and other public spaces, while critics argued it was linked to anti-immigration sentiment and attempts to mark territory in communities with large migrant populations.

The UK has seen major anti-immigration protests and riots in recent years, with right-wing politicians and activists accusing authorities of failing to control illegal migration and adequately address crimes committed by migrants and other ethnic minorities.

Ground-level footage from around the globe which millions of Pokemon Go users gathered over the years was likely fed to the US military, augmenting its satellite mapping for potential use in warfare, Google whistleblower Zach Vorhies has told RT.

Released in 2016 by San Francisco-based firm Niantic, Pokemon Go became one of the gaming industry’s first successful forays into augmented reality, using players’ smartphone cameras and GPS to overlay digital creatures onto real-world locations.

“I don’t think that anybody that was playing Pokemon Go had any vision that their data was going to be used in order to kill people. But that’s what it’s being used for today,” Vorhies told RT on Thursday, arguing that user data was exploited “to play a more deadly game, that of warfare.”

“There’s been a lot of reports that a lot of these Pokemon Go players were snooping around foreign military bases, because there was some sort of very valuable creature that they had to take a snapshot of,” Vorhies said.

Google likely shared this data with the US military to help it build “ground level information” that augments satellite imagery, he said. Two-dimensional pictures can be used to help reconstruct 3D terrain, adding details that would be obscured to photographs taken from space, he added.

With this, they’re able to get a more complete picture of the battlefield.

The whistleblower argued that artificial intelligence giants like OpenAI are getting rid of their internal transparency mechanisms in order to better aid what he called the US “deep state.” The top US AI companies have signed deals with the US War Department, the Pentagon said last month.

Watch the full interview here:

The congressional inquest into Jeffrey Epstein’s network of influential associates has heard testimony from Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and Epstein’s longtime executive assistant, Lesley Groff, as House investigators examine how the convicted sex offender maintained ties to prominent figures after his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor.

In his closed-door testimony on Wednesday, Gates told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee he had not understood the full extent of Epstein’s crimes. He said he had agreed to meet him in 2011 because he believed the financier could help connect him with wealthy donors and advance his philanthropic initiatives. Those fundraising opportunities never materialized, he said, describing his association with Epstein as a “grave error in judgment.” He claimed after he ended contact in 2014, Epstein tried to use knowledge of his extramarital affairs to pressure him to re-engage.

While no public evidence has linked Gates to Epstein’s criminal conduct or placed him on the latter’s private island, critics have questioned his decision to associate with the convicted sex offender. Released correspondence suggests the two men met repeatedly over several years, while Gates’ ex-wife Melinda reportedly viewed Epstein as a serious concern and cited her former husband’s dealings with the financier among the factors behind their 2021 divorce.

Groff said she had considered resigning after Epstein’s 2008 conviction but decided to stay after he convinced her that he had been falsely accused and manipulated her sense of loyalty.

Her account was met with skepticism. During her testimony, lawmakers questioned whether a senior aide who managed Epstein’s schedule, travel, and daily affairs for nearly two decades could plausibly have been unaware of the misconduct. Groff acknowledged arranging massages for Epstein as part of her duties but said she had never met the women involved and was unaware that some were minors. Prosecutors believe that the massages served as a mechanism for recruiting and exploiting young women.

Many Germans want their politicians to be stripped of the special protection against defamation and insults they enjoy under current laws, a recent survey conducted by the INSA polling agency has shown. The issue has come into the spotlight following dozens of criminal cases opened against people calling Chancellor Friedrich Merz names online, with some of them facing thousands of euros in fines as a result.

A person can face up to a year behind bars or a fine for insulting someone under the German Criminal Code. In case of politicians, though, the punishment is tripled if the insult is related to their public position and is “likely to significantly impede their public activities” as stipulated in a separate article.

According to INSA, 43% of Germans would like to see this article, known as Paragraph 188, scrapped. Only 32% wanted to leave it as is, with the rest not giving a specific answer.

The support for the move is particularly strong among the backers of opposition parties, with 67% of Free Democrats’ supporters and 64% of Alternative for Germany (AfD) voters wanting it gone. Supporters of Merz’s Christian Democratic Union were the only ones overwhelmingly supportive of keeping the controversial article in place, with 55% of them opposing any changes, the poll suggested.

Several German news media outlets reported in early June that the police had opened nearly 40 criminal cases over a string of angry comments under a post on Facebook about the chancellor’s visit to a southwestern German city of Heilbronn. Although 15 cases were eventually dropped, others were brought to court, which one man recieving a fine exceeding €2,000 ($2,322) for calling Merz “lying Fritz.”

The chancellor’s office said at the time that Merz himself did not file any charges but maintained that criminal prosecution of those insulting public officials was a “normal” legal procedure that “must be protected.”

Merz, who is known for telling Germans to work more while claiming the welfare state is obsolete and unviable, was ranked the world’s most unpopular leader in April. In May, the German media reported his own party was mulling replacing him because of a record low rating.

The American and British right want you to believe that the Belfast riots are a violent Irish uprising against mass immigration. In reality, the riots are steeped in the complex sectarianism of Northern Ireland, and the riot leaders don’t even consider themselves Irish.

The violence continued on Wednesday, with more loosely organized mobs of rioters hurling stones and petrol bombs at police, and reports of masked vigilantes hunting down black bystanders, seemingly at random.

To the British government, the riots were a base display of “racist thuggery,” per Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn. To the right-wing commentariat in the US and UK, they were an act of resistance against a system responsible for flooding Irish towns and cities with third-world migrants. American radio host Alex Jones described the riots as the beginning of “the war for the West,” while podcaster Nick Fuentes proclaimed the Irish “the spiritual vanguard of Europe,” and sent “my energy to the rioters in Belfast.”

In the UK, right-wing activist Tommy Robinson celebrated Northern Ireland’s Catholic republicans (who want unification with the Republic of Ireland) and Protestant loyalists (who see themselves as British and wish to remain in the United Kingdom) coming together to oppose mass immigration.

Nick Fuentes says he has Celtic DNA.

"It's Celtic Pride, World Wide.. Those are my people, I'm proud of my people."

"So, I'm sending my energy to the Rioters in Belfast." pic.twitter.com/d2nsTT5IYd

— KaizerRev (@Kaizerrev) June 11, 2026

The only problem is that this didn’t happen.

Why didn’t Catholics riot?

The attempted beheading took place in a Catholic neighborhood of Belfast, and initial online reports suggest that the victim, Stephen Ogilvie, was Catholic. Despite the attack seemingly targeting one of their own, Northern Ireland’s Catholic leaders were most emphatic in squashing any potential unrest within their community. Belfast’s Catholic mayor, Rois Maire Donnelly, instead called on locals to stand with immigrants “now in their time of need.” 

At first glance, this stand-down points to a massive disconnect between Sinn Fein and its voters. Across all Ireland, Sinn Fein voters are the most anti-immigration demographic, with 72% favoring policies that “reduce the numbers coming here.” In the Republic of Ireland, the Sinn Fein strongholds of East Wall and North Strand in Dublin have been the epicenter of anti-immigration protests and riots in recent years, including the blockade of an asylum center in East Wall in 2022. 

Northern Ireland is different

By all available accounts, the riots in Belfast were organized and carried out by Protestant loyalists. Setting aside the pro-immigrant sentiment of Sinn Fein’s leaders, the party’s Catholic republican base was reluctant to join riots organized by loyalists, given that their own communities are often targeted by loyalist mobs. 

Eight months before the attack on Ogilvie, loyalist Ulster Defence Association (UDA) paramilitaries burned Catholics out of their homes in Belfast’s Old Park neighborhood, less than a kilometer from the scene of the stabbing. No matter their views on immigration, few republicans would be willing to join forces with the same paramilitaries who torched their houses less than a year ago, and killed more than 1,000 of their relatives and friends during the Troubles.

WATCH: Multiple cars on fire in Belfast as protests spread after attempted beheading by migrant pic.twitter.com/qcP8qnF2qB

— Rapid Report (@RapidReport2025) June 9, 2026

By taking to the streets with loyalists, republicans would also be lending visible support to broader loyalist political goals, which include the reimposition of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Barricaded and manned by British troops until the signing of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the border was a stark symbol of British occupation and an obstacle to the republicans’ goal of Irish reunification.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Gavin Robinson has already called for the closing of “the open, porous border between our country and the Irish Republic,” after it emerged that the Sudanese attacker, Hadi Alodid, had entered Northern Ireland via the Republic.

Why did the Protestants riot?

Unlike the 2023 Dublin riots – which took place after an Algerian immigrant stabbed three children outside a school – and the unrest in Southampton earlier this month after bodycam footage showing the murder of teenager Henry Nowak by a Sikh man was released, the Belfast riots were not spontaneous.

In the hours before the riots, flyers were circulated on social media announcing which roads would be closed, and warning businesses in these areas that they must shut by 5:30 PM with “no excuses.” Masked men set up road checkpoints leading into these zones, and enforced a prohibition on phones and cameras within. Reporting from the Newtownards Road, where dozens of buildings housing migrants were burned out, journalist Aris Roussinos recalled being told to “f**k away off and get on home before you get kneecapped.”

Belfast’s loyalists have both the motive and the means to target immigrants. After centuries in the majority, Protestants are losing the demographic battle to Catholics in Northern Ireland. According to a 2021 census, Catholics now outnumber Protestants by 45.7% to 43.48%, a significant shift from the 48% to 45% Protestant majority in 2011. With Sinn Fein winning its first ever majority in the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2022, the influx of migrants threatens to further erode the loyalists’ already waning power.

Belfast’s paramilitary infrastructure

The loyalists have the infrastructure in place to organize and carry out street level violence. The UDA and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) operated as British proxies during the Troubles, carrying out deniable attacks against IRA members and Catholic civilians alike. The 2012 De Silva Review revealed “shocking levels of state collusion” between the UDA and the British military and intelligence apparatus, concluding that 85% of the group’s targeting intelligence was supplied by British security agencies. Loyalist paramilitaries were spared the internment without trial that alleged IRA members were subjected to, and British military commanders were instructed to take “a moderate stance” toward the UDA, according to Defense Ministry documents from 1972.

The UDA and UVF are now illegal organizations in the UK, but much of their British-built command infrastructure is still in place. According to leaked MI5 documents obtained by the BBC in 2020, the combined membership of both paramilitaries is estimated at around 12,500. These groups regularly meet with loyalist politicians in Northern Ireland, according to the BBC.

Loyalist paramilitaries have officially denied organizing this week’s riots, but are widely believed to be overseeing the violence. Loyalists issued similar denials during race riots in Ballymena last year – a response to the alleged rape of a minor by a gang of Roma teenagers – but were later confirmed to have taken part in, and according to some analysts, exerted “significant control” over the mayhem.

While the Belfast riots are steeped in Northern Ireland’s endemic sectarianism, they did not take place in a vacuum. Whether in Belfast, Dublin, or Southampton, violent riots are now all but guaranteed after serious incidences of migrant crime. 

The government response in Ireland and the UK follows the same pattern every time: appeals for calm, a harsh crackdown on rioters, and a reframing of the right’s response – and not the crime itself – as the real problem.

This policy is unsustainable. Mass migration is roundly despised by the British and Irish public, Protestants and Catholics alike, and as long as the governments of Ireland and the UK – and the mainstream media dependent upon them – continue to emphasise the reaction over the action, the danger posed to society by migrant crime will magnify. 

However, in Northern Ireland, where the British government’s former loyalist attack dogs are turning on their masters, the intersection of deeply rooted sectarianism and fresh public outrage is creating a dangerous powder keg, which if ignited, could cause an explosion of violence unseen since the darkest days of the Troubles.

Germany and the EU risk “sleepwalking” into a direct confrontation with Russia by becoming parties to the Ukraine conflict after abandoning diplomatic engagement with Moscow, the former head of the German Navy has warned in an interview with Berliner Zeitung.

Former German Navy chief Kay-Achim Schonbach resigned in early 2022 after triggering a political uproar by arguing that Russia was acting to protect its security interests rather than seeking confrontation with the West.

Looking back, Schonbach said he would not change the substance of his comments, arguing that Europe missed a chance to prevent the escalation of the Ukraine conflict by failing to “respect the Russian Federation’s right to its own vision of a security architecture on its western border.”

Schonbach emphasized that peace and stability in Europe can only be possible “with, and not against, Russia.”

He also raised concerns that given their current trajectory, Germany and the EU could go beyond legitimate support for Ukraine and “sleepwalk into the role of a belligerent.”

“Only in Ukraine is diplomacy categorically rejected,” he noted, arguing that Germany had squandered decades of postwar reconciliation with Moscow through “moralizing and righteous anger.”

Schonbach also said contacts between the German and Russian navies are now “completely severed,” something he said did not happen even at the height of the Cold War.

In Germany, opposition figures from both the right-wing AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht’s BSW have also consistently criticized Berlin’s Ukraine policy, calling for renewed dialogue with Russia, an end to weapons deliveries to Kiev, and a rethink of sanctions that they say have decimated Germany’s own economy.

Moscow has repeatedly denied claims that it plans to attack NATO or the EU, with Russian President Vladimir Putin calling them “nonsense” and “provocation” used to justify militarization.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has also stressed that Russia has no intention of attacking Europe unless attacked first, and has accused German and EU leadership of transforming the bloc into “a Fourth Reich.”

US inflation accelerated to a three-year high in May as soaring energy costs linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran pushed prices higher across the economy, according to government data. Food prices also rose sharply.

Consumer prices rose 4.2% from a year earlier and increased 0.5% on a monthly basis, with higher gasoline costs adding pressure on household budgets across the country, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said on Wednesday. Energy prices accounted for more than 60% of the monthly rise in the Consumer Price Index.

The data comes as the US carried out new strikes on Iran for a second consecutive day in the latest escalation of a bombing campaign launched in late February, as President Donald Trump seeks to pressure Tehran into accepting his peace terms. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose more than 2% on Thursday to about $95.40 a barrel on fears the conflict could disrupt global energy supplies.

Pump pain deepens

For American drivers, the increase is already showing up at the pump. Gasoline prices climbed 40.5% from a year earlier, turning a $40-$50 fill-up into a $60-$70 hit. The war has added an estimated $59 billion to America’s fuel bills since February, according to CNBC, or roughly $750 per household based on Moody’s Analytics estimates.

The latest rise in energy costs contrasts with Trump’s campaign pledge to curb inflation and cut fuel prices by half within a year of taking office.

Oil industry sounds alarm

Industry executives warn the pain may not be over. “We’re sounding the alarm,” American Petroleum Institute CEO Mike Sommers told Fox Business, citing fuel inventories nearing critical lows.

Some Trump administration officials have dismissed those concerns, industry sources said, noting that oil has yet to approach the $200-a-barrel levels predicted at the start of the war.

With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed and the conflict showing no sign of easing, executives warn gasoline prices could climb further in the weeks ahead.

From pumps to hot dogs

But the surge extends well beyond the pump. At the breakfast table, coffee prices are up 17.5% from a year ago, according to CBS News analysis of BLS data. Grocery bills have climbed further: tomatoes are up 32%, lettuce nearly 25%, beef 16%, and even hot dogs 11% from a year earlier, the data show.

Trump ‘loves inflation’

Economists say the worst may still be ahead, warning that the data does not yet fully reflect the fallout from the war with Iran.

“What we’ve got is hot, sticky and persistent underlying inflation with the dispersion of price increases broadening again, instead of narrowing,” CNN quoted Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG, as saying.

“We’ve yet to hit the full effects of the war on food prices,” she added.

Trump, however, brushed aside concerns, declaring that “the numbers were great.” Asked about the latest figures, Trump told reporters at the White House: “I love inflation” before predicting that “it’s going to come down like a rock” once oil starts flowing freely through the Strait of Hormuz again.

US President Donald Trump has called on Republicans in Congress to pass a $350 billion military spending package that would also impose sweeping new national voting rules before the midterm elections.

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, Trump urged lawmakers to move “immediately” on what he called “Recon 3.0,” a new budget bill that Republicans hope to pass without Democratic support.

Trump said the money is needed to bring the US military budget to $1.5 trillion and “build the arsenal of freedom.” He said the package would fund the Golden Dome missile shield, the F-47 fighter, the B-21 bomber, drones, space-based military capabilities and new ammunition stockpiles.

The president argued that the spending bill would create hundreds of thousands of high-paying US jobs, rebuild American industry and secure “global dominance” without fueling inflation.

The push comes after the US war on Iran and years of military support for Ukraine have strained American weapons supplies, with the Center for Strategic and International Studies stating it could take three or more years to replace some advanced missiles.

The president also wrote that the bill will include the Save America Act, which would tighten election-security measures and require all voters to show photo identification and proof of US citizenship. It would also largely ban mail-in ballots except in cases of illness, disability, military service or travel.

The president said the Save America Act would also ban men from women’s sports and prohibit “transgender mutilization” surgery for children.

However, the legislation still faces major hurdles, including inside Trump’s own party. Senior Republicans have questioned whether Congress can pass another big budget bill before the midterms, while Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said the Save America Act lacks the votes needed under normal rules. Fiscal conservatives could also demand spending cuts to offset the $350 billion military boost.

British Secretary of Defense John Healey has tendered his resignation to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, in the latest blow to the embattled Labour government.

Healey complained in an open letter that Starmer has been “unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling to commit the resources” required for sweeping reforms he sought to implement and to raise the spending level to 3% of GDP by 2030 to meet Britain’s obligation to NATO.

The minister cited the US-Israeli attack on Iran in late February and the increasing strain that European members of the American-led bloc are facing amid doubts about Washington’s commitment as factors necessitating more money for the military.

According to Haley, he resigned in protest at the military budget released in full on Monday that he said “falls well short of what is required” by the ministry to field battle-ready armed forces.

There were rumors that the party could replace its head and vote in a new prime minister, but Starmer’s government has so far survived the turmoil. Britain has seen a string of short-lived prime ministers in recent years. Since the Conservative Party’s Theresa May came to power in 2016, five people have held the position, with Starmer being the first from Labour in the series.

The UK, along with most other members of NATO, committed to boost spending during a leaders’ summit last year. The commitment came in response to pressure from US President Donald Trump, who accused European nations of abusing American protection and failing to pull their weight. The proposed benchmark was set at 5% of GDP, including 3.5% in direct military spending and 1.5% in security-related expenses. The UK said it would reach the milestone by 2035.

EU member states could seek to curtail the powers of the bloc’s diplomatic service, headed by Kaja Kallas, amid concerns among officials that the body is “dysfunctional,” the Financial Times has reported.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) was launched in 2010 as a kind of collective foreign ministry for the EU, overseeing international relations, aid programs, and intelligence gathering and analysis.

France has outlined possible reforms of the EEAS for consideration by member states, the FT reported on Thursday.

One option would return some of the service’s functions to the European Commission and national governments, although this would require unanimous approval by member states. Another proposal, which supporters say could be implemented without changing EU treaties, would limit the autonomy of the EEAS chief and loosen her control over more than 140 missions the EU maintains worldwide.

“Capitals are annoyed and want an effective way for us to act in unison externally,” one of five officials cited by the FT said. “It is clear that [the EEAS] doesn’t work the way it should in today’s world. It is dysfunctional,” another said.

Kallas and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen have reportedly been locked in a tug of war over who should steer EU foreign policy. The former German defense minister is said to have outmaneuvered the former Estonian prime minister in the bureaucratic battle, taking direct control in key geographic areas and pushing for a new intelligence body that would answer directly to her office.

Kallas accused of going off-script on China

Kallas has on several occasions made remarks on sensitive issues, including relations with China, that appeared to reflect her own views rather than the EU’s agreed position, while also advancing proposals some officials considered unwarranted, the FT said.

Last year, Kallas criticized the administration of US President Donald Trump for arguing that Ukraine could not defeat Russia militarily even with continued Western aid and sanctions. “If you’re saying that we collectively are not able to really pressure Russia…, then how do you say that you’re able to take on China?” she asked. The moderator at the Hudson Institute event joked that the remark would be removed from the recording.

EU and China at economic loggerheads

French President Emmanuel Macron made a state visit to China last December, followed by a similar trip by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in February. The leaders of the EU’s two largest economies brought with them major industrial figures, who signed significant deals with Chinese counterparts.

The EU’s stated policy toward China is to “de-risk” economic ties. However, the turbulence that the Trump administration has added to the global economy, along with the doubts it has raised over NATO protections, has pushed European nations to reassess their positions.

EU chose Kallas as a Russia hawk

Kallas stepped down as Estonian prime minister after her popularity at home sank, partly due to a scandal involving her husband’s business interests in Russia. She joined von der Leyen’s second commission in December 2024 as an official who “eats Russians for breakfast,” as some media outlets put it.

The EU is currently debating who should represent the bloc in any direct negotiations with Russia. When asked last month whether she wanted the role, Kallas said the debate itself was a Russian “trap,” adding that her job description is “in the treaties.”

Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, will run for office again in the election later this year, his Likud party has announced.

On Tuesday, ABC News Chief Washington Correspondent Jonathan Karl claimed that US President Donald Trump told him he was not sure if Netanyahu should seek another term.

“He’s had an amazing career. Does he want to continue?” the president said as cited by Karl.

According to the journalist, Trump described Netanyahu as “a wartime prime minister” and insisted that “we will very shortly win the war [against Iran] one way or the other.” 

Likud responded to the report by issuing a short statement on X on Wednesday, stating that “Prime Minister Netanyahu will run in the upcoming elections – and with God’s help, he will win.” 

Netanyahu, 76, who returned as prime minister in December 2022 after holding office from 1996 to 1999 and from 2009 to 2021, has also previously voiced plans to take part in the election.

A poll published by the Israel Democracy Institute on Tuesday suggested that 61% of Israelis do not want Netanyahu to run for office again. The same number of respondents also said that they were in favor of introducing a two-term limit for future prime ministers.

Netanyahu, who is currently on trial for corruption, has faced harsh criticism recently from his political opponents in Israel over the handling of multiple conflicts under his leadership.

They argue that the prime minister has failed to achieve his goals of eliminating Hamas in Gaza, neutralizing Hezbollah in Lebanon or containing Iran, despite his claims to the contrary.

US Marine veteran Graham Platner, who recently covered up a Nazi-style tattoo, has won Maine’s Democratic Senate primary and will face Republican Senator Susan Collins in November.

Platner, a progressive with no previous political experience, won 75% of the vote, garnering support from left-wing Democrats and attracting large crowds with firebrand rhetoric, including promises to “topple the oligarchy” and accusations that his future opponent serves the “Epstein class.” Other Democrats, however, have expressed concerns about whether Platner can defeat Collins in light of his numerous scandals.

Platner, who completed three tours in Iraq with the Marines and another in Afghanistan as a National Guardsman, long had the Totenkopf emblem – the Nazi skull symbol famously referenced in the “Are We the Baddies?” Mitchell and Webb comedy skit – tattooed on his chest.

The candidate said he was unaware of the symbol’s meaning when he got the tattoo in Croatia in 2007 while heavily intoxicated alongside fellow service members. He described it as “a terrifying-looking skull and crossbones,” noting that the National Guard prohibits tattoos that are “extremist, racist, sexist, or otherwise indecent.”

CNN: "[Graham] Platner referred to [his tattoo] as 'my Totenkopf,' which is a reference to the skull and cross bone used by Nazi SS units years before the controversy became public." pic.twitter.com/maQ6FnoEDM

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 5, 2026

In October 2025, Platner covered the tattoo with a different design – a Celtic knot featuring a wolf-like creature that some suggested resembled Fenrir, a wolf from Norse mythology. Critics argued that Nordic-inspired imagery is also popular among some far-right and white supremacist groups.

“If I was ever under the impression that it was a symbol associated with that ideology, I would not have gone through life taking photographs of myself,” said Platner, who describes himself as an anti-fascist.

The Democrat faced accusations of anti-Semitism after he made the refusal to take donations from the pro-Israeli lobby group AIPAC a campaign point. Collins, who is openly pro-Israel, collected almost 20% of her war chest from AIPAC, according to media estimates.

Sen. Susan Collins [R-Maine] has now received >$1.8 MILLION from AIPAC and the Israel lobby. #MESEN pic.twitter.com/edZdINfMhS

— AIPAC Tracker (@TrackAIPAC) June 10, 2026

Platner has also been criticized for old online posts in which he used homophobic slurs and argued that victims of sexual assault in the military should “act like an adult” and avoid getting “blacked out f*cked up.” He later apologized and attributed the comments to struggles with PTSD.

US President Donald Trump has endorsed Collins and branded Platner a “thug” who was “worse than any human being that has ever run for office.”

Trump’s approval rating remains near the lowest level of his political career as the campaign is dominated by concerns about the cost of living, rising energy prices, and the unpopular war with Iran.

A Texas jury has convicted 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony of first-degree murder and sentenced him to 35 years in prison for fatally stabbing fellow student Austin Metcalf during a high school track meet last April.

Anthony’s supporters argued that the case carried racial overtones and maintained the black teenager acted in self-defense during the confrontation with the 17-year-old Metcalf, who was white.

The unanimous verdict was returned on Tuesday at the Collin County Courthouse in McKinney. Anthony will be eligible for parole after serving at least half of his sentence.

The stabbing occurred on April 2, 2025, at a stadium in the Frisco Independent School District that was hosting a multi-school track and field meet. Witnesses told jurors that after it began to rain, Anthony sought shelter under a team tent belonging to another school, which Metcalf represented.

According to testimony, Metcalf approached Anthony and repeatedly told him to leave. Prosecutors said Anthony replied, “Touch me and see what happens,” while reaching into a bag.

During closing arguments, Collin County First Assistant District Attorney Bill Wirskye argued that the stabbing was unjustified and that Anthony had provoked the confrontation.

The defense, meanwhile, sought a reduced sentence under the state’s “sudden passion” provision. Attorney Mike Howard told jurors that Anthony had acted out of “fear and chaos,” arguing that Metcalf had “no legal right” to use force against him.

While the victim’s father, Jeff Metcalf, has repeatedly insisted the case was never about race or politics, some of Anthony’s supporters have continued to view it through that lens.

Emotions ran hot outside the Collin County Courthouse on Tuesday, where supporters of both sides engaged in heated verbal exchanges.

Karmelo Anthony’s grandmother, Toni Hayes shouted “Racist! Bias!” from the passenger side window of the black Acura as it slowly pulled away through the crowd outside the McKinney courthouse.pic.twitter.com/kNx70kbHTn

— Bella (@stockbella) June 10, 2026

Toni Hayes, Anthony’s grandmother, was heard shouting “Racist! Bias!” as she departed the courthouse in a vehicle, according to a video widely shared on social media.

Americans have become less likely to view a range of social behaviors as morally acceptable, according to a new Gallup poll.

Released on Tuesday, the survey found the sharpest year-on-year declines in acceptance of having a child outside marriage, birth control, gambling, sex between teenagers, and animal cloning.

Birth control remained the most widely accepted behavior tracked by Gallup, with 83% of respondents saying it was morally acceptable. However, support fell seven percentage points from 2025, reaching its lowest level since the question was first included in the survey in 2012.

Acceptance of having a baby outside marriage fell nine percentage points to 58%, while support for gambling dropped six points to 57%. The share of Americans who view sex between teenagers as morally acceptable stood at 35%, while acceptance of animal cloning declined to a record low of 27%.

Six behaviors have reached record lows in moral acceptability among Americans: birth control (83%), gambling (57%), the death penalty (52%), medical testing on animals (45%), changing one's gender (38%) and cloning animals (27%).

Birth control remains the most accepted behavior… pic.twitter.com/BsYJefz4QU

— Gallup (@Gallup) June 10, 2026

Despite the declines, majorities of respondents still considered several behaviors morally acceptable, including divorce (74%), sex between unmarried adults (65%), gay or lesbian relations (62%), embryonic stem-cell research (59%), buying and wearing animal fur (57%), and the death penalty (52%).

The poll also highlighted sharp partisan divides, with Democrats far more likely than Republicans to view abortion, gender transition, and gay or lesbian relations as morally acceptable, while Republicans were more supportive of the death penalty.

According to Gallup, Americans remain more accepting of most of the behaviors it tracks than they were two decades ago. However, the polling firm said the findings suggest that a decades-long shift toward greater moral permissiveness has largely leveled off and, in some cases, may be beginning to reverse. The survey was conducted among 1,001 adults nationwide between May 1 and May 17.

The absence of China’s top military leadership from this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue – a key annual inter-governmental security conference focused on the Asia-Pacific region – prompted predictable speculation about worsening US-China relations. Yet a more important development took place away from the conference hall.

Just hours earlier, American and Chinese military officials met in Hawaii under the Military Maritime Consultative Agreement to discuss maritime safety, crisis management, and ways to reduce the risk of incidents at sea. This was in line with the trend of Washington and Beijing rebuilding lines of military communication despite their strategic competition.

Rather than pursuing either liberal-globalist ambitions or a new Cold War against China, US President Donald Trump’s second-term administration appears to be advancing a strategy built on realism and balance-of-power politics.

The end of the globalist consensus

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth’s speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue offered perhaps the clearest articulation of this approach.

Hegseth argued that the US has abandoned what he described as the “old toothless, utopian, and globalist course of foreign policy.” Meaning that appeals to universal values and abstract international norms are giving way to a foreign policy centered on national interests, military strength, and strategic realism.

For decades, many US allies relied heavily on American security guarantees while maintaining relatively modest defense capabilities of their own. Hegseth openly questioned this model, arguing that allies should become genuine security partners rather than long-term dependents.

From protectorates to partners

The Trump administration’s emphasis on burden-sharing is about more than budgetary concerns. It also acknowledges a deeper geopolitical reality. For three decades after the Cold War, the US occupied a uniquely hegemonic position in the Indo-Pacific. Today, however, China’s rise, India’s growing influence, and the increasing strategic weight of other regional powers are contributing to a more multipolar environment.

Rather than attempting to restore the conditions of uncontested primacy, Washington increasingly appears focused on preserving an advantageous position within this changing balance. The US remains, or at least still believes itself to be, the strongest military power in the region, but it is encouraging partners to assume greater responsibility for regional security.

This helps explain continued American support for military modernization among countries such as Japan, South Korea, Australia, the Philippines, and India. Critics often portray these efforts as evidence of containment directed against China, yet the Trump administration presents them as an effort to preserve a regional balance in which no single power can dominate the Indo-Pacific.

China remains central to this strategy. Hegseth expressed concern about the country’s growing military capabilities, but his remarks were notably less confrontational than much of the rhetoric that has characterized recent debates in Washington. He emphasized the importance of stable relations, fair trade, and continued military-to-military engagement.

It’s equally important to note what he did not emphasize. Taiwan, one of the most sensitive issues in US-China relations, played little role in his speech. The omission suggested an effort to manage competition without turning every disagreement into a geopolitical crisis.

The recently released US National Defense Strategy identifies four priorities: defending the US and the Western Hemisphere, including Greenland; deterring China in the Indo-Pacific; increasing burden-sharing among allies and partners; and revitalizing the American defense-industrial base.

While identifying China as the primary strategic challenge in the Indo-Pacific, the document also calls for expanded military dialogue, strategic stability, and mechanisms for de-escalation. The US Department of War even acknowledges China’s extraordinary rise and military achievements.

Importantly, the strategy does not seek China’s isolation or humiliation. Instead, it reflects a concern that if any single power were to dominate the Indo-Pacific, it could gain disproportionate influence over the world’s economic center of gravity.

Such an approach also reflects changing realities within the international order itself. The US is no longer operating in the largely unipolar environment of the 1990s. It is adapting to a world in which multiple major powers coexist and compete. Rather than attempting to preserve its slipping primacy, Washington appears to have shifted to maintaining a favorable balance that protects US interests.

China has a different view of the situation, however. It interprets the military modernization of US allies and partners in the region as evidence of continued containment or encirclement. These tensions are likely to persist. Actions that Washington sees as burden-sharing and balance-building will continue to be viewed in Beijing as militarization directed against China, and the ball is in the Washington’s court to convince Beijing otherwise.

Competition between the United States and China will undoubtedly continue, but America’s emerging strategy points to a search for equilibrium rather than dominance, and stability rather than escalation. If sustained, it could offer a more durable foundation for coexistence between major powers than either the hegemonic assumptions of the past or the confrontational mindset of a new Cold War.

Omar Artan, who was set to become the first Somali to referee a FIFA World Cup match but was denied entry by the US, has been honored as a national hero upon his return home.

The 34-year old was detained for some 11 hours by US immigration officials before being sent back to Istanbul, despite having all the necessary paperwork in place and being poised to become the first Somali World Cup referee.

The upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, has been beset by organizational concerns, including shifting US entry policies.

Last year, US President Donald Trump’s administration imposed a sweeping travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.

Artan touched down at Mogadishu’s airport on Wednesday and was greeted by hundreds of people, including local government officials and representatives of the Somali Football Federation. Some were waving national flags and carrying banners featuring photos of him.

Referee Mohamed Atan got a hero's welcome back in Somalia 🇸🇴 they might think they have broken him but they have created a new hero with many open doors for opportunities.

When one door closes another opens.He remains the best 👌referee from Africa@soka25east pic.twitter.com/tsFYQsVv7l

— Collins Okinyo (@bedjosessien) June 10, 2026

He thanked his compatriots for their support and vowed to officiate at the next World Cup.

In 2025, the Confederation of African Football named Artan the continent’s best referee of the year. He went on to make the list of 52 referees for the 2026 World Cup selected by FIFA.

The New York Times conducted a telephone interview on Tuesday, when the 34-year-old said he was in Istanbul, Türkiye awaiting a connecting flight. Artan recounted how he had arrived at Miami International Airport on Saturday with a valid visa, but was taken aside by border officials for 11 hours of questioning.

The Somali referee told the newspaper he had all the “right papers,” including documentation from FIFA, but was nevertheless put on a flight back to Istanbul, with no explanation forthcoming.

The NYT quoted the US Customs and Border Protection as confirming that the “traveler, a referee for the FIFA World Cup, was determined to be inadmissible due to vetting concerns.”

The publication suggested that Artan might have attracted particular scrutiny because a Somali national with a similar name is on a US sanctions list over his alleged ties to the Al Shabab terrorist group.

The US has carried out strikes in Iran for the second consecutive day as President Donald Trump seeks to pressure Tehran into accepting his peace terms.

Explosions and impacts were reported across southern and central Iran hours after US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said US Central Command (CENTCOM) “will be busy tonight.”

“Because President Trump said we will be hitting Iran hard – and we will be,” Hegseth told reporters.

The Pentagon chief said the strikes would target “key facilities” in Iran and added that Tehran “has an opportunity to make a deal” with Washington.

Despite Trump’s insistence that the sides were close to a deal, the negotiations had stalled for weeks, with both sides accusing each other of bad faith and ceasefire violations.

Last week, Iran threatened to suspend the talks in response to Israel’s continued airstrikes in Lebanon.

Tehran’s conditions for a peace agreement include the cessation of hostilities “on all fronts,” including Lebanon, where Israel has been waging a war against Hezbollah since early March. Israel and Iran exchanged strikes on Monday.

On Wednesday, the US launched strikes in Iran in response to what it described as the downing of an American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

Iran denied responsibility for the incident and responded with a missile barrage targeting US bases in the region.

This live feed is over.

Hostilities flared up on the Afghan-Pakistan border overnight as strikes by the Pakistani military killed 13 civilians, Afghan officials have said.

The strikes took place in the Afghan border provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika, according to Zabihullah Mujahid, a government spokesman. It marks the deadliest episode in weeks, following a period of relative calm.

The Pakistani bombing claimed the lives of “11 children, one woman, and one elderly man,” Mujahid posted on X. Fourteen others were injured, he said, including women and children.

An AFP report quoting an unidentified official in Khost said a strike on a house in Spera district killed nine and wounded 11. Residents of a neighboring province said a separate attack claimed three civilians in Barmal district. The deceased were all children, a resident said.

Crime
Last night, the Pakistani military once again violated Afghanistan's airspace and bombed civilian homes in the provinces of Kunar, Khost, and Paktika.
As a result of these attacks, 11 children, one woman, and one elderly man were killed, while 14 other women
2/1

— Zabihullah (..ذبـــــیح الله م ) (@Zabehulah_M33) June 10, 2026

Pakistan has accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of sheltering armed groups that conduct cross-border raids and terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a mosque in Islamabad in February that killed more than 30 people.Afghanistan has, in turn, accused Pakistan of “unforgivable war crimes.” Low-intensity clashes have continued on the Afghan-Pakistan border despite the two nations agreeing to a truce in late March.

Islamabad has repeatedly said its strikes in Afghanistan are aimed at insurgents carrying out attacks on its territory and that it does not target civilians.

But a United Nations report published last month put the death toll of Afghan civilians at 372 in the first three months of this year. It said 397 people have been wounded in the conflict.

A visit by a far-right lawmaker to an Arab town in northern Israel has sparked controversy after local leaders accused him of staging a political provocation and sought to block the trip. 

Knesset Education Committee chairman Zvi Sukkot of the Religious Zionism party traveled to Tuba-Zangariyye last week under heavy police protection to discuss what he described as “crime and violence” in the local education system.

The leaders of the predominantly Bedouin Arab town in the Galilee region, however, made clear he was not welcome, calling the trip a “racist” political stunt rather than an educational tour, and locked the gates of a local school ahead of his arrival. After being denied entry, Sukkot was filmed using an electric saw during a confrontation outside the school, and the footage quickly went viral. 

“What we least expected was for a member of the Israeli Knesset and the chairman of Israel’s Education Committee to behave in such a way,” Tuba-Zangariyye council head Muayyad Haib told RT, describing the visit as “extremely provocative” and saying it left some children “terrified.” 

Haib said residents opposed the visit because of Sukkot’s previous statements and actions toward the community, adding that the lawmaker proceeded with the trip despite the repeated objections of local officials. 

Sukkot has defended his actions and vowed to push for cuts to state funding for schools, arguing that the State of Israel should not invest “even one shekel” in such an education system. 

The incident has fueled a wider political row, with critics accusing Sukkot of seeking confrontation for political gain.

RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij takes a closer look at the events.  

Italy has launched a probe into far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s alleged mistreatment of multinational activists who took part in an aid flotilla bound for Gaza, days after a similar investigation was opened by France. It comes as the EU is considering sanctions on Ben-Gvir over the alleged abuse.

The scandal was triggered by the IDF’s interception of the Global Sumud Flotilla in May, an international civilian initiative set up to break the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Activists have repeatedly attempted to reach the Palestinian enclave over the years, but their vessels have ended up attacked, sunk, burned, bombed, or stopped by Israeli forces.

The enclave remains in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Nearly its entire population of approximately 2.1 million is displaced, while roughly 60% of Palestinians in Gaza have lost their homes during the latest war between Israel and Hamas.

The latest attempt to run the blockade was no exception – the ships were boarded by the Israeli military in international waters off Cyprus and over 400 activists were detained. The detainees were expelled after a few days in custody, alleging widespread mistreatment at the hands of the Israeli forces, including beatings, torture, sexual assault, and outright rape.

While Israel has repeatedly taken an extremely heavy-handed approach to those involved in such endeavors, the latest incident was further aggravated by the actions of Ben-Gvir. The minister showed up at a prison ship housing the detainees waving a large Israeli flag, taunting the kneeling and bound activists and urging the government to jail them for a long time. He also posted the video online.

Multiple nations have formally condemned the treatment of the Global Sumud Flotilla activists, with some also taking aim at Ben-Gvir. France banned the minister from entry days after he published his stunt, citing his “reprehensible actions towards French and European citizens.” Poland also imposed a travel ban on the minister, while Ireland last week barred Ben-Gvir, as well as extreme-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, from entering the country over the flotilla case and anti-Palestinian remarks. 

The Italian probe was openly mocked by the recalcitrant minister, who said he would not “shy away from one investigation or another and will continue to stand proudly alongside our fighters.”

“The land of the Boot has become the land of the flip-flop,” he added, referring to Italy’s geographical shape and an apparent shift in its position towards Israel.

The probes come as the EU is expected to consider imposing restrictions on the Israeli firebrand. The flotilla incident has also reignited the drive for broader measures against West Jerusalem, including the potential suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement. 

While the sanctions against Ben-Gvir are expected to be discussed as soon as next week, it remains unclear whether the bloc will adopt them given the lack of consensus. The Czech Republic has vowed to block any anti-Israel initiatives even if it means opposing all the other member states.

“Hochmut kommt vor dem Fall” (arrogance precedes a fall) says a proverb every German knows. That, you may say, is little wonder, considering how the last two world wars started and ended.

But the saying is much older. It is rooted in Martin Luther’s punchy translation of the Old Testament (in the English King James Bible, the relevant passage reads “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall”). Clearly, the admonition not to preen and strut lest you stumble and fall flat on your silly, overbearing face is addressed to all of us, including, for instance, Americans and Israelis.

Yet recent events at the United Nations have highlighted the pertinence of – to use a term less harsh than arrogance – an over-optimistically biased lack of self-awareness to the case of contemporary Germany. Or to be precise, its political elites. Berlin, in essence, has been humiliated in public, before literally the whole world: Applying for a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council, it lost the vote in the UN General Assembly.

The rotating non-permanent seats on the UN Security Council are, to put it mildly, not terribly powerful resources. Their value is at least as much a matter of political symbolism and prestige as of practical benefits. But it would be foolish to conclude that Germany’s defeat does not matter. On the contrary, it is precisely the fact that such a seat does not pack a mighty punch that makes the failure to obtain one even worse: How hard can it be? Obviously too hard for the current Berlin team.

Hence, ironically, although objectively the stakes were not that high, this is a massive setback and great embarrassment for official Germany. One reason is that a de facto routine has been broken. You might even say a tradition going all the way back to the last century’s Cold War. Since the 1973 admission as full UN members of both Cold War Germanies, East and West, first West then united Germany (in effect, West Germany after gobbling up its former rival), has held a non-permanent seat six times and, often forgotten now, the former East Germany once. This is Germany’s first ever failure to achieve what had come to look like the default: getting what it wants.

No wonder the Germans have been even glummer than when they lose a football match. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who had traveled to New York to lecture the world and score what looked like an easy win, deplored a “bitter defeat” (but is unwilling to do the right thing and resign).

The staid Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) noted a “resounding” debacle. Influential business newspaper Wirtschaftswoche registered a “harsh setback” for not only Wadephul but also his boss, Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Both – proud of their dull unanimity – have long sought to claim a larger international role for Berlin in Europe, as well as globally. Yet they find their iteration of Germany rejected by the closest thing to a world parliament as no German government has before.

Even worse, while international ‘leadership’ is clearly out of reach, as no one wants German leaders – who would have thought – even more modest ambitions seem unrealistic. An editorial in Spiegel, Germany’s Pravda of radical Centrism, despairs that Berlin might as well say goodbye to its dreams of playing “Mittelmacht” (a middle power) and has now arrived at the glorious status of “Kleinstaat,” literally meaning simply a small state, but in reality, if you know German mentality, a thing comical at best (when it happens to, say, Liechtenstein) and a tragic disgrace when it happens to Germany.

And to be fair, there is something odd about Germany not even maintaining its very moderate clout and prestige at the UN. You don’t have to be a German nationalist to notice a discrepancy between Germany’s economic and demographic weight – both declining badly but still comparatively substantial – and its traditional role as a major player in at least the US vassal version of Europe on one side and its crass humiliation at the UN on the other.

In Europe, an economically stagnant but massively re-militarizing Germany has acquired a new profile as the single Western state most responsible for prolonging the Ukraine war – that is the massive abuse of Ukrainians as cannon fodder in a failed attempt to degrade Russia geopolitically after even the US has shed that role. But much of the world wants this war to end and has no misguided sympathy for the ultra-corrupt Zelensky regime.

Such international observers also note that Berlin is willing to humbly, perversely accept a massive attack on its vital infrastructure by precisely that Zelensky regime and, most likely, several of its NATO ‘allies’ as well. This repulsive mix of aggressiveness and a cowardly failure to protect elementary national interests cannot produce respect or sympathy. It certainly doesn’t say “vote for me, I am reliable.”

Then there is the pronounced German habit of lecturing the world but especially anyone not European or North American on, well, everything you can think of. China, for instance, when it doesn’t simply disinvite Germans as it very understandably now does, gets to hear daft, stale, and holier-than-thou sermons about ‘democratic values’ – from a country where a whole left-wing opposition party (the BSW) hasn’t made it into parliament due to extremely suspicious, systemic-looking miscounts.

And then, there is the icky submissiveness to the US, of course. Even while Berlin has managed to personally antagonize US President Donald Trump – not hard to do, admittedly – it also cannot find clear words about either the Iran war, where it loves to perversely blame and hector the victims in Tehran, or for instance, the harrowing of Venezuela and Cuba. Why would anyone entrust additional power to spineless weaklings?

There are specific solo performances as well: Wadephul’s predecessor Annalena Baerbock is infamous for her inanities, covering areas from elementary geometry (360 degrees and all that) to accidental declarations of war. Indeed, some Germans have long called her “cringe personified.” But is Wadephul really any better? He has just used his pre-voting speech at the UN – the job interview, in essence – to once again unfold his embarrassingly deranged pet theory that states which he deems rogue, for instance Iran, have no right to the protections of international law. Obviously intellectually absurd and shabbily motivated, such plain nonsense, which would make international law superfluous, from a trained lawyer who also happens to be a foreign minister makes Germany look stupid as well as dishonest.

Germany to the world: We are not sending our best to work with you. That’s not a great message when you would like the world to like and trust you because it reeks of haughtiness and disrespect. But there is a worse possibility. What if more and more of our fellow nations on this globe conclude that Baerbock and Wadephul actually are our best?

The Iranian military has been “completely defeated,” US President Donald Trump has claimed, warning Tehran it will “pay the price” for delaying a deal with Washington.  

The warnings came after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced missile and drone strikes on American military facilities in several Arab countries in retaliation for recent US attacks. US Central Command said the operations inside Iran were carried out after an AH-64 Apache helicopter was lost near the Strait of Hormuz, an incident it blamed on Tehran. 

Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday that Iran “is all talk and no action,” adding that “The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!!” 

He also accused Tehran of taking “too long to negotiate a deal that would have been great for them,” warning that it would now “have to pay the price.” 

Iran’s Military is a complete and total mess. Much of it, like their Navy and Air Force, doesn’t even exist anymore - They have been completely defeated. Iran is all talk and no action. The Bully of the Middle East is DEAD!!! They’ve taken too long to negotiate a deal that would… pic.twitter.com/wW9ULVRoMC

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) June 10, 2026

The exchange of fire marked the most serious escalation since a ceasefire was announced in early April. Efforts to turn the truce into a durable peace have stalled for weeks, with Washington and Tehran repeatedly accusing each other of violating its terms. 

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the US strikes had jeopardized the negotiations and forced Tehran to “reassess” its participation. He accused Washington of undermining diplomacy through military action and “contradictory messages,” while blaming Israel’s operations in Lebanon for further damaging the process. 

Israel has intensified strikes in Lebanon against what it describes as Hezbollah targets. The IDF attacks reportedly killed at least eight people near Tyre and in Sidon on Wednesday. 

Trump has previously lashed out at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for derailing Iran talks, reportedly telling him during a phone call “You’re f***ing crazy. You’d be in prison if it weren’t for me.”  

The UK has accused Elon Musk of stoking tensions over his reaction to a knife attack which triggered anti-immigrant riots in Belfast.

Violence erupted in the Northern Irish capital on Tuesday night after a Sudanese asylum seeker allegedly carried out a stabbing attack which left a man blind in his left eye.

Masked gangs attacked homes, torched vehicles, and clashed with police, prompting authorities to urge calm.
A 30-year-old Sudanese man appeared in court on Wednesday charged with attempted murder. The incident comes amid an increasingly heated debate over immigration in Britain, fueled by a series of high-profile crimes involving foreign nationals.

Musk, a longtime critic of the UK government, posted on X ahead of the unrest: “Only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”

He also shared a post from right-wing activist Tommy Robinson listing dozens of protest locations across the UK.

Labour Party Chair Anna Turley condemned Musk on Wednesday, claiming the billionaire was helping inflame tensions during the unrest.

“It’s appalling. Anyone that is seeking to drive and exploit a situation like this to drive their own political agenda is grievously wrong and doing damage,” she told LBC.

Turley said the tech mogul, commenting from “thousands of miles away,” did not have to live with the consequences of the unrest in Northern Ireland.

Last week, Starmer said Musk was trying to “whip up division” after the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak.

Musk has made several posts about the case, which has triggered public outrage and protests in Britain, as well as a public apology from the prime minister.

Nowak was fatally stabbed in December by Vickrum Singh Digwa, a 23-year-old Sikh man, who falsely claimed to police that he had been the victim of a racist attack.

Footage released after Digwa’s sentencing showed officers handcuffing and dragging Nowak despite his repeated pleas that he had been stabbed and could not breathe. He later lost consciousness and died.

Musk was among those to allege that British police had treated Nowak differently because of his ethnicity.

Vladimir Zelensky is learning that even Ukraine’s most loyal backers may no longer be willing to overlook Kiev’s glorification of Nazi-backed nationalist figures – not even in the name of jointly opposing Russia.

Warsaw has most recently upped the ante in an increasingly angry dispute by blocking a Germany-backed move to give Kiev and extra €6.6 billion from a weapons program.

Warsaw, whose military and logistical support remains vital to Kiev’s war effort, has reacted with anger to Zelensky’s recent gestures honoring the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, known as the OUN and UPA. Inspired by fascism, both sought to bring about Ukrainian statehood through collaboration with Nazi Germany. In an attempt at ethnic cleansing, OUN and UPA murdered at least 100,000 Poles, Jews, and Russians during World War II.

Zelensky now risks becoming only the second person in history to be stripped of the Order of the White Eagle, Poland’s highest state distinction, which dates back more than three centuries.

What has triggered Polish outrage with Ukraine?

In late May, Zelensky attended the state reburial of Andrey Melnik, a co-founder of the OUN and rival of Stepan Bandera, another nationalist figure widely venerated in modern Ukraine. Melnik’s remains were returned from Luxemburg as part of what Kiev described as an effort to build a national “pantheon” of heroes.

Has Zelensky crossed a red line by honoring nazi collaborators?

Neither step was unprecedented in itself. Ukraine has numerous monuments dedicated to nationalist figures, while Bandera’s birthday on January 1 is marked by supporters almost like an unofficial state holiday.

However, the UPA’s wartime record remains one of the most bitter historical disputes between Kiev and Warsaw. The Volhynia massacres of 1943-1944 have been formally recognized by Poland as genocide.

Ukrainian officials and historians have argued that the atrocities should be viewed alongside Warsaw’s historic mistreatment of ethnic Ukrainians and do not warrant the emotional investment they have in Poland.

“The Volhynia tragedy is one of Poland’s statebuilding myths… a key element of the Polish grand narrative,” the director of the Ukrainian National Remembrance Museum, Aleksandr Alferov, said in February. “For most Ukrainians, it was just a local historical episode, because it only happened in Volhynia.”

The response in Poland to Kiev’s latest moves was unexpectedly sharp.

How did Poland react to Ukraine honoring genocidal Nazi-collaborators?

Criticism of Zelensky also came from across Poland’s political spectrum. Conservative Polish President Karol Nawrocki and EU-favored Prime Minister Donald Tusk both criticized Zelensky, but they disagree on Warsaw’s response. Nawrocki wants to revoke the Order of the White Eagle that Zelensky received in April 2023 from his predecessor, Andrzej Duda. Tusk has argued that Zelensky and Nawrocki must find a way to repair the dispute, saying that the row “serves Moscow’s interests.”

Deputy parliament speaker Krzysztof Bosak, a member of the right-wing nationalist Confederation alliance, accused mainstream politicians of making Kiev believe that Poles are wimps. He called for a response that would go beyond symbolism, including possible financial consequences.

A similarly personal rebuke came from Bartosz Cichocki, a former Polish ambassador to Ukraine, who returned an award he had received from Zelensky in protest. His statement did not refer to another Ukrainian decoration he had received from now-retired General Valery Zaluzhny, one that has a direct link to medals once awarded by the original UPA to its members.

Who was stripped of the award in the past?

The Order of the White Eagle was established in 1705, although Poland’s turbulent history and interruptions to its sovereignty repeatedly affected the order’s status. Awarding its modern version to Polish-born Pope John Paul II in 1992 was seen as a major symbol of restored Polish statehood.

Among the many Polish and foreign recipients, the honor has been revoked only once, and even then only temporarily. Wincenty Witos, an interwar prime minister, received the order in 1920. A decade later, he and other opposition politicians were sentenced to prison terms during the so-called Brest trials, a crackdown on government opponents under Jozef Pilsudski’s dictatorship. Witos’ award was revoked in 1932 and restored in 1939.

Could Zelensky’s award be withdrawn?

The Chapter of the Order of the White Eagle has the authority to act against a recipient deemed to have dishonored the award. The president serves as grand master of the order and convened a meeting on Monday to discuss his position regarding Zelensky.

Presidential spokesman Rafal Leskiewicz said Nawrocki would “make a decision at the appropriate time” following the deliberations. He also took aim at Tusk’s conciliatory approach, pointing to the prime minister’s admission that diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute had not succeeded.

How have Ukraine and Poland tried to defuse the situation?

Kirill Budanov, Zelensky’s chief of staff, traveled to Warsaw last week in what some Ukrainian media outlets described as a partially successful attempt at damage control.

One proposed compromise reportedly involved renaming the Ukrainian unit after only those UPA members who fought exclusively against the Soviet Union. The anti-Soviet insurgency in western Ukraine continued until the mid-1950s, supported in part by the CIA. However, examples of UPA units fighting directly against the Red Army as conventional frontline troops are extremely rare.

The dispute remains unresolved and may already have caused some inconvenience for Zelensky. Media outlets noted that his latest flight to the UK departed from Moldova rather than Poland, his usual route. Warsaw has denied placing any restrictions on his travel.

Did Warsaw retaliate in significant ways?

Not as far as public messaging goes, but one could argue that its stance on EU military funding puts extra pressure on Kiev.

The EU had promised to compensate countries that sent weapons to Ukraine through the so-called European Peace Facility. Some €6.6 billion ($7.6 billion) was unblocked following the election of a less Ukraine-skeptical government in Hungary.

Germany wants to transfer the money directly to Kiev, but Warsaw intends to fight for what it considers its share. “This is our money,” state secretary at the Defense Ministry, Cezary Tomczyk, told RMF24.

Are there other grievances dividing Poland and Ukraine?

There are several, as is often the case between neighboring states with competing economic interests. The conflict with Russia has brought some of them into sharper focus.

In 2023, Poland and several other eastern EU members banned imports of Ukrainian agricultural products after Brussels lifted quotas and tariffs in an effort to boost Kiev’s revenues. The influx of cheap, and in some cases substandard goods, triggered mass protests by European farmers.

Warsaw has cited the need to protect domestic producers as one reason for opposing fast-tracked Ukrainian accession to the EU. Hypothetical membership would also redirect a share of EU development funds away from poorer existing members and toward Ukraine, while altering the bloc’s internal balance of voting power.

Why can’t Ukraine choose its own national heroes?

Ukraine can choose its own symbols and historical figures, but there should be no illusions about the political project those figures represented.

Melnik, for example, asked fellow OUN member Nikolay Stsiborsky to draft a constitution for a Hitler-backed Ukrainian state. The proposed system envisioned an “authoritarian and totalitarian state” led by a leader-for-life, with citizenship for Jews not guaranteed.

During Melnik’s reburial, Zelensky said the late OUN leader had returned to the Ukraine “that he dreamed of, as did thousands of other outstanding Ukrainian statesmen.”

The remark may have been a ceremonial platitude. However it seems ironic that a Jewish man who in 2019 won the presidency in a landslide on a promise of national reconciliation has turned into a wartime dictator praising people, who would not have allowed him anywhere near a leadership position, had they prevailed.

US spending on nuclear weapons surged by nearly a quarter in 2025 compared to the previous year, according to findings by an anti-nuclear watchdog.

In a report released on Tuesday, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said the world’s nine nuclear-armed states spent nearly $119 billion on their arsenals last year – the equivalent of $3,768 every second. 

The US remained by far the biggest spender, pouring $69.2 billion into its nuclear arsenal – more than all other eight nations combined. Washington also recorded the largest annual increase, with spending rising 22% year-on-year, or $12.4 billion.

ICAN, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning group, said the increase reflects continued investment in modernizing and expanding nuclear arsenals amid mounting global tensions.

The nine nuclear powers have spent a combined $471 billion on their arsenals over the past five years, the group said. It added that a single day’s nuclear weapons spending in 2025 could have provided food for two million people for a year, while annual spending could have covered the UN’s regular budget for 32 years.

The report comes as the US is considering deploying its nuclear weapons to additional NATO member states in Europe, according to a Financial Times report last week. The outlet said US officials had discussed expanding the nuclear-sharing arrangement beyond its current participants. 

The US has stationed nuclear weapons in Europe under its nuclear-sharing program since the 1950s. B61 gravity bombs are currently believed to be deployed in Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Türkiye, while control of the weapons remains with Washington.

Moscow has warned that any further expansion of NATO’s nuclear infrastructure toward Russia’s borders would trigger a response. Earlier this month, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Andrey Belousov reiterated a demand that all US nuclear weapons be withdrawn from Europe and the infrastructure supporting their deployment be dismantled.

Taiwan has launched approximately 36 US-supplied missiles into the water off the coast of mainland China, in a first-of-its-kind live-fire drill on the self-governing island’s west coast.

The exercise comes amid mounting tensions between Taipei and Beijing, which considers Taiwan sovereign Chinese territory.

The drills took place on Wednesday and involved the firing of reduced-range training rockets from US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) into the Taiwan Strait.

According to Taipei, the exercise was meant to simulate an attack on an invading Chinese force and demonstrate HIMARS’ ability to “shoot-and-scoot” by avoiding counter strikes.

HIMARS has a range of up to around 300 km, meaning it could potentially hit targets in China’s southeastern Fujian Province across the strait.

Taiwan has ordered 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and has also been building up anti-ship and air defense systems.

During his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Beijing last month, Chinese President Xi Jinping described Taiwan as the most important issue in China-US relations and warned that mishandling it could push the two countries into “a very dangerous situation.”

Beijing considers Taiwan part of China and has consistently warned against separatism on the island. Xi has repeatedly said Beijing seeks peaceful reunification, but has refused to rule out the use of force if provoked.

In May, Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications released data showing that the number of children under the age of 15 in the Land of the Rising Sun had fallen to a new historic low: 13.29 million, which is 350,000 fewer than a year earlier.

To understand the scale and drama of what is happening, it is worth recalling that in 1950*, at the very beginning of Japan’s economic miracle, children under 15 made up 35.1% of Japan’s population. Half a century later, in 2000, the share of children had declined to 14.5%. Alarm bells rang in the country, measures were introduced, but the trend could not be reversed. And now, according to the results of 2025, the share of children in the total population has once again hit a new low, falling to just 10.8%.

The reduction of the number of children in Japanese society to what was once unthinkable is linked to falling birth rates, which in Japan are declining even faster than in the developed countries of America and Europe. The total fertility rate has fallen below 1.2 nationwide, while in Tokyo the average number of children per woman has dropped to just 0.99.

In turn, the fall in fertility is connected with the continual decline in the number of marriages. Over 45 years of uninterrupted decline in the number of children, younger generations of Japanese have themselves become far smaller. More importantly, an increasing number of young Japanese do not want to start any family at all, or even maintain stable sexual relationships.

And here we arrive at the root cause: Japan is a country of triumphant individualism. With the participation of American social-engineering strategists, Japan created a model of accelerated modernization built around a hollowed-out national tradition and a high standard of living as the central meaning-forming pattern of mass culture.

The results of the Japanese case, and of other social experiments – including alternatives to it – can be assessed using RT’s global Social Well-Being Index (SWI). According to the RT Index methodology, social well-being is determined by the production and preservation of life, as well as the minimization of social oppression. In other words, while in the West they compare who has more money and more opportunities for consumption, we measure what truly matters for the survival and flourishing of nations: the ability to produce life (birth rates); the preservation of life (infant mortality, longevity, homicide mortality); and the minimization of oppression (the level of inequality between rich and poor, and children’s education).

Read more here about the high standards, inherent contradictions, and uncertain prospects of social well-being in westernized Japan.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has published footage of missile launches it said were aimed at American military facilities in several Arab countries, describing the operation as retaliation for recent US attacks.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran have surged in recent days alongside a parallel escalation between Iran and Israel. US Central Command said it carried out strikes inside Iran on Tuesday after a US Apache military helicopter was lost near the Strait of Hormuz, an incident Washington blamed on Tehran.

The IRGC claimed the American strikes damaged a telecommunications tower on Sirik Island and destroyed two water reservoirs in the Bemani district. It said its response included attacks on the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain and four targets at Jordan’s al-Azraq air base, including hangars housing F-35 fighter jets.

Video released by Iran shows several missiles being launched at night. The IRGC said drones were also used in the operation and claimed that 21 targets were engaged in Kuwait, Jordan, and Bahrain, including a Reaper drone.

🔺 The IRGC released footage of long-range missile launches targeting U.S. positions in the region, in response to the U.S. strikes on southern Iran earlier in the day. The video showed claimed launches of Qadr, Emad, and Kheibar Shekan ballistic missiles — both solid and liquid… pic.twitter.com/6WWqiDavu7

— Drop Site (@DropSiteNews) June 10, 2026

Jordan’s military said it intercepted five ballistic missiles, with footage of the incident appearing online.

Five Iranian ballistic missiles were shot down over Jordan.#Jordan pic.twitter.com/grkEEWasMZ

— Middle East Observer (@Mid7East) June 10, 2026

Kuwaiti officials also reported intercepting aerial targets, while air raid sirens were heard in Bahrain, according to media reports.

Earlier, Iran hit targets in Israel, saying the strikes were retaliation for Israel’s continued invasion of southern Lebanon and attacks on Beirut. West Jerusalem later responded with strikes of its own, despite calls by US President Donald Trump not to escalate further.

Tehran considers Israel’s operation in Lebanon a breach of a ceasefire announced by the US and Iran in April, which was presented as part of an effort to reach a peace agreement. Trump has argued that “moderate” shooting does not amount to a violation of a Middle East truce.

The European Commission has demanded that Meta – which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp – give competitors’ AI assistants free access to its messaging and social media platforms.

The interim measure will remain in place until the conclusion of an antitrust investigation against the American tech giant, the EU’s main executive body said in a statement on Tuesday.

Meta could face a fine of up to 10% of its global annual turnover if found guilty of abusing its market power to undercut its rivals.

The probe into Meta was launched in December 2025 when artificial intelligence developers from the US, France and Spain complained about the California-based company’s decision to block access to its WhatsApp for Business application programming interface (API) to all competitors.

Only its own Meta AI remained connected to the messaging app, which has over 3.3 billion active users worldwide. It’s also integrated into Meta’s social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram.

Meta now has five working days to make the use of WhatsApp for Business API free, like it used to be before October 2025, according to the European Commission.

EU antitrust chief Teresa Ribera said that the body acted to “preserve choice for citizens across Europe on the AI assistants they want to use with WhatsApp, without that decision being made for them.”

The measure will also “safeguard competition in the growing market for AI assistants, by preserving a key entry point to reach consumers in Europe – WhatsApp – and allowing AI companies to innovate, scale up and reach their full potential,” Ribera added.

A Meta spokesperson said in an-email to Reuters that the company disagrees with the order and is planning to appeal against it.

“The European Commission has decided that OpenAI and some of the largest companies in the world can use the paid-for WhatsApp Business product for free. This is regulatory overreach subsidized by the many European companies that pay,” the spokesman stressed.

The US and Israel carried out their latest strikes on Iran and Lebanon in a deliberate effort to sabotage the ongoing peace talks, former CIA analyst Larry Johnson has told RT.

On Wednesday local time, the US struck Qeshm Island and targets in southern Iran in response to the crash of a US AH-64 Apache attack helicopter off the coast of Oman – an incident US President Donald Trump blamed on Iran. Tehran, however, has refused to confirm that it was responsible for the crash.

“If they are alive, why does Donald Trump launch strikes on Iran when they are supposedly in the midst of peace talks? The only reason I can come up with is that he did it deliberately to sabotage the talks,” he said.

Trump has been pressured by “the Zionist crowd” and pro-Israel politicians such as US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, Johnson said.

“They are insistent on destroying Iran. They don’t want a deal with Iran,” he stated.

Johnson said Israel’s airstrikes on Beirut on Sunday were also aimed at provoking a conflict with Iran.

“Too much progress was being made during the peace talks for the neocons and for Israel, so they did everything in their power to sabotage it. I think this is going to lead to a new round of escalation that can go on for a week or two,” he said.

Children in Cuba are dying amid acute shortages of essential medical supplies caused by US-imposed economic sanctions, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk has said.

The island nation has endured daily blackouts and severe fuel deficits in recent months after Venezuela, once Havana’s main oil supplier, stopped crude shipments under pressure from the US in early 2026. This was preceded by the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American commandos in January.

US President Donald Trump has since repeatedly stated that he intends to “take” Cuba “one way or another.”

Turk described the plight of ordinary Cubans as “unacceptable,” warning that “children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines,” as quoted in a statement issued on Monday. According to the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), infant mortality in Cuba has doubled to 9.9 per 1,000 births, with childhood cancer survival rates down from 85% to 65% since the US imposed a fuel blockade on the Caribbean country.

“Critical medical services such as oncology, dialysis, and maternal health are under severe strain,” with essential medicines in “critical short supply,” the report warned.

“Such severe sanctions packages that target entire sectors of an economy and produce broad, indiscriminate and harsh effects on populations are incompatible with basic principles of international human rights law,” Turk charged.

Last month, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla accused the US of meting out “collective punishment” in that Cubans are being subjected to conditions “that violate their human rights and cause pain, suffering, and anguish.”

Axios, citing several anonymous US officials, reported in late May that the White House was looking to further ramp up the pressure on Cuba in the hope that worsening economic conditions would eventually lead to regime change.

Russia, China, Mexico, and several other countries have been supplying Cuba with humanitarian aid. Moscow sent a shipment of around 700,000 barrels of crude oil in late March.

A US federal judge has struck down President Donald Trump’s $100,000 fee on new skilled-worker visas, ruling that the White House could not impose the charge without approval from Congress.

The fee applied to new H-1B visa petitions filed on behalf of foreign workers outside the US. The program allows American employers to hire specialists from abroad for up to six years, and is capped at 65,000 new visas a year, with another 20,000 available for applicants with advanced degrees. It is widely used by major technology companies.

Trump has argued that the system has been abused by companies seeking to replace American workers with lower-paid foreign labor. In September, he ordered a $100,000 surcharge on new applications, saying the measure would protect US jobs and national security.

On Monday, US District Judge Leo Sorokin ruled in favor of 20 states that challenged the policy. He said the $100,000 payment was effectively a tax, “regardless of what the payment is called,” and that the administration had no authority to impose it.

The lawsuit was led by California and joined by other states that argued the fee was unlawful and would harm schools, universities, hospitals and other public institutions that rely on skilled foreign workers.

The H-1B program has long divided US policymakers. Supporters say it helps companies fill specialized roles, while critics have argued that it allows corporations and staffing firms to undercut American workers and suppress wages.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, set to kick off on Thursday, has already been overshadowed by political disputes and concerns over the tournament’s organization. Immigration rows, travel restrictions, and ticketing complaints have emerged as major flashpoints ahead of the opening match. Here is what we know so far. 

When does the World Cup start?

The 2026 FIFA World Cup begins on June 11 and concludes on July 19. A record 48 teams will take part, with the top two sides from each of the 12 groups and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the knockout stage. 

Where is the World Cup taking place?

The tournament is being co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, marking the first World Cup to be staged across three countries. Matches will be held in 16 cities across North America, with the final set to be played at New York-New Jersey Stadium. 

How have US entry policies affected participants? 

The World Cup is taking place against a backdrop of tighter US immigration controls and travel restrictions that have affected some participants. 

Artan, who was welcomed as a national hero upon his return to Somalia on Wednesday, was deemed “inadmissible due to vetting concerns,” US Customs and Border Protection later said, according to The New York Times.

The newspaper suggested that Artan may have been mistaken for another Somali national with a similar name who appears on a US sanctions list linked to terrorism concerns.

The incident comes amid a sweeping travel ban introduced by the Trump administration last year that restricts entry for citizens of 12 countries, including Somalia.

Iraq’s national team also encountered entry difficulties. While all players were ultimately admitted, captain Aymen Hussein was reportedly detained and questioned for nearly seven hours after arriving in Chicago. The team’s official photographer, Talal Salah, was denied entry. 

Footage circulating online shows members of Senegal’s squad undergoing extensive security checks upon arrival in the US, including pat-downs and metal detector screening. Senegal is among the countries affected by Washington’s latest travel restrictions. 

Separate video appeared to show former Italy captain and Ballon d’Or winner Fabio Cannavaro undergoing lengthy security screening after landing in the country. 

Fabio Cannavaro, World Cup winner, former Italy captain and ballon d’or winner being searched like a suspected drug mule in the US. pic.twitter.com/rK7brpFama

— Aaron Bastani (@AaronBastani) June 9, 2026

How has the Middle East war affected Iran’s participation? 

Iran’s World Cup campaign has been complicated by heightened tensions with Washington and the broad US sanctions regime imposed on the country. 

Visas for the Iranian squad were reportedly approved only days before the tournament after months of uncertainty, while some members of the delegation are still said to be awaiting travel documents. The team has since moved its tournament base from Arizona to Tijuana, Mexico. 

Adding to the controversy, Iran’s football federation said this week that its official allocation of World Cup tickets had been revoked just days before the opening match. The federation accused organizers of breaching the principle of equal treatment for participating nations. 

FIFA said it remained in contact with the Iranian federation following the team’s arrival in Mexico. 

Are fans struggling to attend the tournament?

Travel difficulties have not been limited to teams and officials. Supporters’ groups from several countries have reported problems entering the US, citing visa delays, enhanced screening procedures, and high rejection rates.

Fan organizations across Africa, the Middle East, and Latin America have voiced particular concern. Supporters from Jordan, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and Tunisia have reported difficulties navigating US entry requirements, while citizens of Iran and Haiti face some of the strictest restrictions. Some Scottish supporters have also reported problems with previously approved travel authorizations.

“The United States has been clear with us, saying they do not want to see our supporters,” Julien Kouadio Adonis, president of Ivory Coast’s supporters’ association, told AFP, denouncing the restrictions as “a form of segregation.”

Human rights groups have also voiced concern over immigration enforcement during the tournament. Amnesty International has called on FIFA to ensure supporters can attend matches without fear of discrimination or arbitrary restrictions. Some Haitian fans have told reporters they are reluctant to travel to the US due to concerns about possible detention or deportation, even as Haiti prepares for its first World Cup appearance since 1974. 

Outrageous ticket prices

FIFA is facing scrutiny from the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey over allegations of “impossibly high” prices, artificial scarcity, and misleading information about ticket availability and seat locations. Its use of demand-based pricing and resale fees has also drawn criticism. 

While FIFA has promoted the expanded 48-team tournament as its most accessible World Cup yet, consumer advocates and supporters’ groups argue that soaring prices are putting many matches out of reach for ordinary fans. 

Fans seeking tickets for the 2026 tournament have reported prices ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. Some group-stage tickets have been listed for more than $4,000, while seats for the final have appeared on resale platforms for significantly higher amounts. 

Could the controversies affect the tournament?

FIFA has largely distanced itself from disputes over visas and immigration, saying such matters fall under the authority of host-country governments and maintaining that preparations remain on schedule. 

US President Donald Trump has described the event as being on course to become “the most successful World Cup” ever, while the White House World Cup Task Force has pledged to deliver “the largest, safest and most welcoming sporting event in history.” 

Human rights organizations and supporters’ groups, however, have questioned whether those commitments can be met, arguing that travel restrictions, immigration concerns, and ticketing controversies risk undermining the tournament’s goal of bringing together football fans from around the world.

Forcing fans not to fly flags in the name of inclusivity

Shortly before the opening game of the tournament on Thursday, British media reported that some councils in England advised fans not to attach St George’s Cross flags to public property, citing concerns ranging from safety and community cohesion to maintaining a welcoming environment.

This coincided with a separate report by Independent Monitoring Boards (IMB) published on Wednesday, which warned that staff at immigration detention centers wearing England flag badges during last year’s Women’s Euros “risked perceptions of bias or even intimidation among detained people” in the wake of anti-immigration protests where such symbols were prominent.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage seized on the controversy, writing on Facebook on Thursday: “Do you wear an England badge? Do you fly an England flag outside your home? According to our political class, you are now intimidating migrants!”

Anti-immigration riots broke out in Belfast on Tuesday night after a knife-wielding Sudanese asylum seeker allegedly attacked a man in the Northern Irish capital.

The incident occurred amid a heated debate over migration policies, fueled by a string of crimes involving foreign nationals across the UK.

Buses and cars were set ablaze as police urged the public to remain calm.

Videos from the scene showed vehicles engulfed in flames.

🚨 BREAKING: A bus has been set on fire in Belfast amid protests over the attempted beheading of a man pic.twitter.com/FX8maCMalK

— Politics UK (@PolitlcsUK) June 9, 2026

🛑LIVE a burning car can be seen rolling down the road.#belfast #news #riot pic.twitter.com/nzxM8mz4Hl

— RTI OSINT (real time intelligence) (@RTI_imtel) June 9, 2026

Other footage shows a burning car rolling down the street.

Angry mobs set several homes on fire and vandalized bus stops with anti-Islam graffiti.

According to reports, crowds roamed the streets in parts of the city, attempting to break into homes of suspected migrants.

Groups of men are going ‘door to door’ “hunting migrants” setting fire to known HMO’s in Belfast… pic.twitter.com/jxr0Rczctm

— Pippa B 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🚜 ❤️ 🇺🇸 (@pippaisright) June 9, 2026

The unrest followed a viral video from Monday showing a knife-wielding assailant pinning another man to the ground in the middle of a street. Several bystanders intervened, saving the victim, who suffered multiple stab wounds.

The UK has seen major anti-immigration protests and riots in recent years, with right-wing politicians and activists accusing authorities of failing to control illegal migration and adequately address crimes committed by migrants and other ethnic minorities.

In 2024, large-scale riots broke out in Southport, northwest England, after a man of Rwandan origin fatally stabbed three girls at a dance studio. The incident resulted in a rash of arrests for social media posts which allegedly stirred up racial hatred.

Earlier this month, demonstrations were held in memory of Henry Nowak, a university student killed by a British Sikh man in 2025. Public outrage intensified after police body-camera footage was released showing officers at the scene handcuffing the mortally wounded Nowak rather than his attacker, Vickrum Digwa.

Digwa was sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole after 21 years for the murder.

The US said it has launched strikes in Iran in response to what it described as the downing of an American AH-64 Apache attack helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz.

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said US President Donald Trump had ordered “self-defense strikes… in response to yesterday’s downing of a US Army Apache helicopter.”

“The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian aggression,” CENTCOM said in a statement on X.

Iranian broadcaster Press TV reported that several projectiles struck the strategic island of Qeshm near the narrowest part of the Strait of Hormuz, which hosts a military base and a key oil terminal. Strikes were also reported in other parts of Iran’s southern Hormozgan Province.

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces began launching self-defense strikes against Iran at 5 p.m. ET today at the Commander in Chief’s direction, in response to yesterday’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter. The mission is a proportional response to unjustified Iranian…

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) June 9, 2026

Earlier on Tuesday, CENTCOM said the helicopter had crashed off the coast of Oman while patrolling the area and that its two pilots had been rescued.

Tehran has not directly confirmed the US claim that the helicopter was shot down, with Al Jazeera citing a senior Iranian diplomat as saying “there was no deliberate attack” on the aircraft.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote on X that US forces operating near Iranian territory “are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire.”

Shortly after the latest US strikes, Araghchi warned that Iran “will leave no attack or threat unanswered.”

“Leave our region if you want to be safe,” he wrote on X.

Despite its defeats on the battlefield, the U.S. opted to test our determination.

Our Powerful Armed Forces will leave no attack or threat unanswered.

Leave our region if you want to be safe.

History of the Persian Gulf has many chapters on dire fates of intruding outsiders. pic.twitter.com/O17GGtklxA

— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) June 9, 2026

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) later said it had targeted the headquarters of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, as well as a US airbase in Jordan.

The latest escalation comes as Trump again claimed that his administration was close to reaching a deal with Iran and said the US would achieve a “total victory” within days or weeks.

Iran threatened to suspend negotiations last week after Israel carried out airstrikes in Lebanon, where nearly 3,700 people have been killed since the IDF resumed its military operation in response to attacks by Hezbollah. Tehran’s peace terms with the US include the cessation of fighting “on all fronts,” including Lebanon.

Trump has since held several heated phone conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urging him to hold off on further strikes in Lebanon.

The number of armed conflicts underway around the globe reached its highest level since World War II in 2025, according to a study published on Tuesday by the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO).

Researchers found there were 65 state-based conflicts – involving at least one government actor – the highest number since systematic records began in 1946. The report estimates that about 245,000 people were killed in battle-related violence last year, making it one of the deadliest years in recent decades.

“The world today is … far more fragmented,” the researchers said, describing an “unprecedented” number of simultaneous wars fueled by both long-running crises and new outbreaks of large-scale fighting. They cited the escalation of the Ukraine conflict, Israel’s war in Gaza and the civil war in Sudan.

Ukraine should compensate Germany for the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines, the co-leader of the right-wing party Alternative for Germany (AfD), Alice Weidel, has said.

German investigators have attributed the explosions, which crippled the pipelines built to transport Russian gas to Germany, to a small group of Ukrainian operatives. The alleged ringleader was extradited to Germany from Italy last autumn.

Moscow has repeatedly questioned Berlin’s account of the attack, arguing that such a sophisticated operation could not have been carried out by a handful of divers in NATO-monitored waters without state backing.

Speaking at a party event on Tuesday, Weidel rejected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s proposal to grant Ukraine associate membership in the European Union, describing the country as a “bottomless pit” that is already heavily reliant on foreign financial assistance.

“Germany has already transferred more than €100 billion to Ukraine over the past four years alone,” she said.

Weidel argued that Kiev should first explain its role in the Nord Stream sabotage.

“The flow of payments should actually be moving in the opposite direction. Ukraine must pay reparations to the Federal Republic of Germany, because we have suffered enormous damage – and so has Europe as a whole – from the loss of cheap Russian fossil fuels,” Weidel added.

The co-leader of the AfD also called for an immediate halt to German military and financial assistance to Ukraine, urging Berlin to focus instead on facilitating negotiations between Kiev and Moscow and restoring dialogue with Russia.

According to several recent opinion polls, the AfD is currently Germany’s most popular political party. An INSA survey published by Bild on Saturday put support for the party at 29%, while 77% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with Chancellor Merz’s performance – the worst rating of his tenure, according to the newspaper.

The long-delayed €100 billion ($116 billion) project to develop a fully European next-generation fighter jet for NATO members has been formally abandoned.

Despite citing the need to counter a perceived threat from Russia and strengthen Europe’s military, France and Germany have failed to overcome years of industrial and political disagreements over a project intended to reduce Europe’s reliance on US-made military hardware.

Was the cancellation of the project a surprise?

Not really. The fate of the Future Combat Air System, or FCAS, had been uncertain for months.

In February, Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said the project, in which Belgium held observer status, was already “dead.”

SCAF is dood aldus de Duitse bondskanselier @bundeskanzler in deze podcast. Er komt geen Frans-Duits zesde generatie jachtvliegtuig.

België was observator in het programma. We zullen onze positie herbepalen.

Ivm de nucleaire afschrikking begrijp ik echt niet waarom Europese…

— Theo Francken (@FranckenTheo) February 18, 2026

On Monday, media outlets reported that the industrial deadlock surrounding the proposed replacement for France’s Rafale jets, the Eurofighters used by Germany and Spain, and potentially US-made F-35s, had finally ended with the manned fighter component being dropped. Official confirmations soon followed.

“It was an ambitious, large European project that has now shattered against reality,” German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said. “In the end, one must distinguish between head and heart in this matter.”

In other words, FCAS has joined the growing list of European defense initiatives that failed to meet their original expectations.

What was FCAS?

FCAS was launched in 2017 by French President Emmanuel Macron and then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Its stated goal was to deliver a sixth-generation advanced combat aircraft sometime after 2040. At the time, a source at a major European defense firm said the proposed jet would have to “have capabilities to match or exceed that of the F-35” to win over potential buyers and justify the investment.

The aircraft was meant to operate alongside new drones and a “combat cloud” information network. Participants now hope those elements can still be preserved and folded into future national aircraft programs.

“The actual core of FCAS is to be continued as a European system,” a French official told Agence France Presse, suggesting that parts of the project may still produce some return on the money already spent.

Given Macron’s personal role in launching FCAS, the collapse of its central component is being seen as a major setback for his political legacy. According to Handelsblatt, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz informed the French president last week that the fighter jet project had no viable future.

Why did FCAS stall?

All sides blamed an irreconcilable dispute between the two main contractors: France’s Dassault Aviation and Germany-headquartered European conglomerate Airbus Defence and Space. The disagreement centered on workshare and governance.

Both Berlin and Paris insisted that the industrial dispute did not reflect the broader state of relations between the two countries. Macron and Merz invited mediators in March, but those efforts reportedly collapsed the following month, leaving the final decision to their defense ministries.

Why did the contractors quarrel?

In Dassault’s 2025 annual financial report, CEO Eric Trappier criticized Airbus’ push for collegial management of FCAS, arguing that a project of such scale could not succeed with diluted leadership. He said the French company possessed the unique expertise needed to deliver the aircraft.

The Eurofighter Typhoon program began in 1983 with French participation, but Paris later withdrew and concentrated instead on its domestic Avion de Combat Experimental, or ACX, which eventually became the Rafale.

One of the major points of contention with the Eurofighter was incompatible national requirements. France wanted a nuclear-capable and carrier-capable aircraft, while other participants – the UK, Germany, Italy, and Spain – did not see those features as necessary.

That same divide ultimately undermined the FCAS program.

What is the future of European-made NATO jets?

Germany’s fighter jet effort could also involve Sweden’s Saab, the maker of the Gripen fighter jet. Berlin reportedly views the Swedish firm as far easier to work with than Dassault.

Germany needs foreign partners, as it has not independently developed a fighter jet since World War II. The only exception is the experimental EWR VJ 101 vertical takeoff aircraft, which never progressed beyond the prototype stage.

Northern Irish police have arrested a Sudanese asylum seeker over a brutal stabbing attack in Belfast on Monday. Graphic video footage showed locals intervening as the attacker plunged a kitchen knife into his victim’s neck.

The attacker, who is in his 30s, was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) said on Tuesday. His victim, who is in his 40s, suffered stab wounds to his back, face, and eyes, and has been hospitalized in serious condition.

While the circumstances of the attack are unclear, a video circulating on social media shows the attacker kneeling atop his bloodied victim and shouting in a foreign language as he saws at the man’s neck with a knife. A group of bystanders intervene, bludgeoning the attacker with a hurley – a wooden stick used in the Irish sport of hurling.

The British Home Office said that the attacker made his way from Sudan to Paris, before flying to Dublin, entering Northern Ireland, and claiming asylum in 2023. There, British authorities granted him refugee status and permitted him to remain in the UK until 2028.

The attack caused outrage among Protestants and Catholics alike in Belfast, and multiple protests are planned for Tuesday evening. Politicians and the PSNI have appealed for calm while the case is investigated, and Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn has promised that the suspect will be deported if found guilty.

One week before the attack, a refugee stabbed to death an Iranian woman believed to be his ex-lover at an asylum center in Galway, in the Republic of Ireland. Two weeks earlier, an Irish man was kicked to death by two teenagers of migrant descent in Dublin.

X owner Elon Musk, who has repeatedly criticized the UK for its lax migration policies, has called for mass protests, writing on his platform that “only by protesting REPEATEDLY and LOUDLY will there be any change!!”

Iran has downed a US AH-64 Apache attack helicopter over the Strait of Hormuz, US President Donald Trump has claimed, pledging to retaliate for the incident “of necessity.”

Earlier on Tuesday, the US Central Command said the helicopter “went down” off the coast of Oman while “patrolling regional waters.” The military did not name the cause for the destruction of the aircraft, stating only that its two pilots were rescued around two hours later, and that the incident is under investigation.

Iran has so far kept silent despite its apparent policy of widely publicizing interception of hostile aircraft in repeated run-ins with the US military amid a shaky ceasefire. Trump, however, squarely pinned the blame for the destruction of the helicopter on Tehran, pledging to retaliate. 

“There were two pilots involved, both are safe and uninjured. Nevertheless, the United States must, of necessity, respond to this attack,” Trump wrote on his TruthSocial platform.

Ahead of Trump’s announcement, media reports indicated the US military investigation had not been able to establish whether the destruction of the aircraft was intentional. An unnamed US official told Axios the helicopter collided with an Iranian drone in mid-air. The ensuing rescue operation involved maritime drones for the very first time, CENTCOM spokesman Tim Hawkins told the outlet.

Israel and Iran carried out strikes against each other on Monday, with Tehran insisting that the US bore “direct responsibility” for Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which became the immediate trigger for the exchange. Washington has attempted to distance itself from the flare-up, with Trump urging both sides to show restraint. The US leader threatened Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with the withdrawal of military support, telling Axios in a phone interview on Monday that “if [Netanyahu] went back to war with Iran, he might find himself fighting alone.”

Bulgaria’s new government has announced it will halt weapons deliveries to Ukraine, signaling a major policy shift for the NATO and EU member, which has been supplying arms to Kiev since the escalation of the conflict in 2022.

The conflict cannot be resolved on the battlefield, Bulgarian Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov told reporters on Tuesday, arguing that Ukraine’s primary challenge is a shortage of personnel rather than weapons.

“What we are witnessing is a war of attrition, and no matter how much weaponry is amassed, its only result is the loss of human lives,” he said, as quoted by AP.

According to Stoyanov, it is time to sit down at the negotiating table “to seek a just peace that is defined by both sides.”

Ukraine has faced persistent manpower shortages throughout the conflict with Russia despite repeated mobilization drives. Kiev has increasingly relied on compulsory conscription to replenish its ranks amid troop shortages, desertions, and draft evasion. The campaign has been marred by reports of forced recruitment, while thousands of military-age men have left the country to avoid being drafted.

New Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev, whose Progressive Bulgaria party won the April election, has long been a vocal critic of Brussels’ policy on Ukraine. During his tenure as president between 2022 and 2025, Radev opposed Bulgaria’s embargo on Russian energy, blocked a proposal to send armored vehicles to Ukraine, and consistently advocated for a negotiated settlement to the conflict.

The debate over direct engagement with Moscow has gained momentum within the EU in recent weeks. Several European leaders have floated the idea of appointing a senior envoy to engage with Russia amid concerns that the bloc has been sidelined in previous US-led diplomatic initiatives.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum has once again emerged not only as Russia’s premier business gathering but also as one of the clearest reflections of the profound changes reshaping the global economy and international politics.

Increasingly, the spotlight at SPIEF falls on the countries of the Global South, whose influence in world affairs continues to expand. This trend is particularly visible in Russia’s engagement with the Arab world. In recent years, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar have each served as the forum’s guest country. This year, that role was entrusted to Saudi Arabia. This underscores both the remarkable progress in Russian-Saudi relations and the Kingdom’s growing importance in global politics, energy markets, and international finance.

Saudi Arabia brought one of the most prominent foreign delegations to the forum. including high-ranking government officials, leaders of sovereign investment funds, executives of major state-owned enterprises, and representatives of the Kingdom’s business community. Among the most notable participants was Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud, who has played a pivotal role in developing energy cooperation between Moscow and Riyadh and is widely regarded as one of the principal architects of the OPEC+ framework.

Economic ties

According to Saudi officials, approximately 30 agreements were signed on the sidelines of the forum, covering areas ranging from energy and investment to education, tourism, and humanitarian cooperation. A few months earlier, during high-level talks in Riyadh, Russian and Saudi representatives reached nearly 90 separate agreements involving government agencies, corporations, and business associations. These figures illustrate the growing depth of bilateral engagement and the increasingly dense network of economic ties connecting the two countries.

The current stage of cooperation carries particular symbolic significance. In 2026, Russia and Saudi Arabia mark one hundred years since the establishment of diplomatic relations. Their relationship dates back to 1926, when the Soviet Union became one of the first countries in the world – and the first non-Arab state – to recognize the newly established Saudi Kingdom under King Abdulaziz Al Saud. For Riyadh, this recognition was of considerable importance at a time when the young state was seeking international legitimacy. A century later, that historical milestone has acquired renewed relevance amid the rapid development of relations between the two nations.

For Russia, participation in these transformative processes offers significant opportunities. Economic ties between the two countries have expanded considerably in recent years. Bilateral trade has approached the $4 billion mark, while Russian exports to the Kingdom continue to grow steadily. Grain, fertilizers, metallurgical products, chemicals, and agricultural goods have become key pillars of trade. Russia is gradually strengthening its position as an important partner in Saudi Arabia’s efforts to enhance food security.

Energy, however, remains the cornerstone of the relationship. Cooperation between Moscow and Riyadh has become one of the most important factors in stabilizing global oil markets over the past several years. Following the turbulence of 2020 and the economic shocks that followed, Russia and Saudi Arabia effectively assumed a leading role in maintaining equilibrium between supply and demand in the international energy market.

Both countries remain among the world’s largest oil producers. According to OPEC data, Russia produced an average of 9.129 million barrels of oil per day in 2025, compared with 9.197 million barrels per day the previous year. Saudi Arabia, meanwhile, increased production from 8.978 million barrels per day in 2024 to 9.472 million barrels in 2025. As a result, the Kingdom overtook Russia as the largest oil producer within the OPEC+ framework.

Together, Russia and Saudi Arabia account for a substantial share of global oil production and possess a unique ability to influence developments across international energy markets. Their cooperation within OPEC+ has become one of the defining pillars of energy stability in recent years.

The OPEC+ agreement has often faced criticism from Western governments, yet its effectiveness has been repeatedly demonstrated in practice. Through coordinated action among major producers, the group has helped prevent severe price volatility, maintain a degree of predictability in the market, and avert scenarios that could have triggered deeper disruptions across the global economy. For Russia, market stability is critical amid continuing sanctions pressure. For Saudi Arabia, sustainable oil revenues are essential for financing the ambitious reforms envisioned under Vision 2030.

At the same time, bilateral cooperation extends beyond crude oil. Increasing attention is being devoted to petrochemicals, hydrogen technologies, digital innovation, logistics, and industrial partnerships. Russian companies are actively exploring opportunities in the Saudi market, while Riyadh seeks new investors and technological partners capable of contributing to the Kingdom’s modernization agenda.

Saudi Arabia has shown particular interest in Russian expertise in nuclear energy, information technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, agriculture, and advanced engineering solutions. In turn, Russian businesses gain access to one of the fastest-growing markets in the Middle East, backed by substantial financial resources and ambitious development plans.

Humanitarian cooperation is also increasing. Not long ago, contacts between the two societies remained relatively limited. Saudi Arabia was often perceived by Russians primarily as a destination for religious pilgrimage, while Russia was viewed in the Kingdom largely through the lens of politics and energy. Today, that picture is changing rapidly. Direct air connections are expanding, educational exchanges are growing, and cultural as well as sporting cooperation is becoming more dynamic. Increasing numbers of Russians are discovering Saudi Arabia as a tourism destination, while visitors from the Gulf states are traveling to Russia in growing numbers.

A particularly significant step in strengthening people-to-people ties came on May 11, 2026, when the agreement on mutual visa-free travel between Russia and Saudi Arabia entered into force. Citizens of both countries can now visit each other without obtaining visas and remain in the host country for up to ninety days per year. It’s a genuinely historic achievement for Russian-Saudi relations. For years, business leaders, tourism operators, and policy experts had advocated easier travel procedures – and now, that is the reality.

Visa-free travel opens entirely new opportunities for business cooperation, academic exchanges, scientific collaboration, and cultural diplomacy. Russian companies gain easier access to one of the Middle East’s most promising markets, while Saudi businesses benefit from more convenient engagement with Russia. Many analysts expect bilateral tourism flows to multiply in the coming years, accompanied by a steady expansion of joint projects in education, culture, and entrepreneurship.

The agreement was concluded on the eve of the centenary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, serving as a powerful symbol of mutual trust and demonstrating that bilateral relations are increasingly rooted not only in politics and energy but also in direct interaction between people.

Saudi Arabia’s political importance for Russia is difficult to overstate. The Kingdom remains the leading power of the Arab world and one of the principal centers of Islamic civilization. It is home to Mecca and Medina, two of Islam’s holiest cities. Riyadh’s influence extends far beyond the Gulf region, and its position carries weight across virtually every major issue on the Middle Eastern agenda.

Russian and Saudi views converge on many international issues. Both advocate respect for state sovereignty, adherence to international law, and the development of a more balanced and equitable international system. Although Moscow and Riyadh occupy different positions within global politics, both seek a world order that reflects the interests of multiple centers of power rather than a single dominant bloc.

Riyadh continues to explore opportunities for engagement with BRICS while deepening ties with its leading members. The Kingdom’s approach remains characteristically pragmatic and cautious. Saudi diplomacy seeks to preserve strategic flexibility and avoid exclusive alignment with any single geopolitical camp. Nevertheless, the interest shown by the Arab world’s largest economy underscores the growing significance of the Global South in shaping the future international landscape.

Stability above all

Saudi Arabia’s position on regional security is equally noteworthy. Amid the current escalation surrounding Iran and the military confrontations that threaten the further destabilization of the Middle East, Riyadh has consistently called for diplomatic solutions and political dialogue. Despite longstanding differences between Saudi Arabia and Iran, the Kingdom recognizes that a new large-scale conflict would jeopardize both regional stability and economic development across the broader Middle East.

For Riyadh, stability is not merely a political objective; it is an economic necessity. The success of Vision 2030 depends on long-term predictability, foreign investment, and a favorable international environment. This reality explains why Saudi diplomacy has increasingly emphasized mediation, dialogue, and compromise. In many respects, this approach aligns with Russia’s own preference for political and diplomatic solutions to regional crises.

The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum is about far more than the participation of a large foreign delegation or the signing of another package of agreements. It reflects the remarkable evolution of Russian-Saudi relations over recent years. Energy, investment, trade, technology, education, tourism, and humanitarian cooperation have together created a solid foundation for deeper engagement between the two countries.

A century ago, Moscow was among the first capitals to recognize the young Saudi state. Today, Russia and Saudi Arabia approach the centenary of diplomatic relations as influential actors in an increasingly multipolar world. The Kingdom’s role as the leading Arab guest at SPIEF reflects concrete projects, multi-billion-dollar investment plans, joint efforts to stabilize global energy markets, and a shared determination to build relations based on mutual respect, pragmatism, and long-term strategic vision.

Israel has struck the historic city of Tyre in Lebanon, targeting the Christian quarter for the first time after ordering a partial evacuation. The attack has heightened local concerns over the fate of the city’s revered Biblical heritage sites.

According to Reuters, eight people were killed in a single strike on Tyre’s eastern edge on Tuesday.

The Christian quarter, located in the city’s northwest, had been excluded from previous Israeli warnings and had sheltered people displaced from elsewhere.

The Israeli military issued the blanket evacuation order after claiming that Hezbollah militants were hiding in the quarter, a claim disputed by its residents, local officials, and the Lebanese army.

One of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and a UNESCO World Heritage site, Tyre is mentioned repeatedly in both the Old and New Testaments. It was a major center of the ancient Phoenician kingdom, which supplied materials for the construction of Solomon’s Temple, believed to have stood on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, the site of the Al-Aqsa compound, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

Last month, Israel issued an expropriation order covering the village of Nabi Samwil in the occupied West Bank, home to what is believed to be the tomb of the Prophet Samuel, a figure revered in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Palestinian officials and religious leaders have condemned the move as an attempt to erase Muslim heritage and strengthen Israeli control over contested holy sites.

Watch RT’s Charlotte Dubenskij report from Nabi Samwil below.

The US and World Cup organizers have withdrawn Iran’s allocation of fan tickets just days before the tournament is set to begin, the country’s football federation has said.
The last-minute decision has left thousands of Iranian supporters who had already made travel arrangements unable to attend their team’s matches.

The World Cup kicks off on Thursday, with Iran set to face New Zealand and Belgium in their opening two Group G matches in Los Angeles on June 15 and June 21 respectively, before taking on Egypt in Seattle on June 26.

“The United States has once again acted to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums hosting the national team’s three group stage matches,” the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran (FFIRI) said in a statement on Tuesday.

The federation said its ticket allocation had been withdrawn in an “unexpected move,” leaving it unable to provide “even a single ticket” to supporters of the national team.

FFIRI described the decision as “contrary to the spirit governing international competitions and the principle of equality among participating countries.” It added that the move raised “serious questions about the interference of non-sporting and political considerations” in the organization of the World Cup.

Iran’s federation called on FIFA and tournament organizers “to uphold the principles of neutrality, fairness, and established regulations” and to ensure Iranian supporters could attend the matches.

Tehran has said visa issues had prevented around 15 administrative and management staff in its delegation from entering the US, while Iran’s team was forced to abandon plans to base its World Cup training camp in Tucson, Arizona, and instead set up in the Mexican border city of Tijuana.

All Iranian players were granted US visas last week, 10 days before their World Cup opener, although several members of the delegation’s support staff were still denied entry. An unnamed US official told Reuters last week that Washington had issued “the visas necessary for Iran to compete in the World Cup.”

The US Department of War has added dozens of Chinese companies, including tech giant Alibaba, search engine Baidu, and electric vehicle maker BYD, to a blacklist of entities it claims are aiding Beijing’s military.

China has condemned the move, accusing Washington of targeting Chinese businesses.

The Pentagon’s so-called 1260H list, updated on Monday, includes 188 Chinese firms, up from around 130 last year. The list identifies companies that Washington claims are linked or contribute to the Chinese military under Beijing’s “military-civil fusion” strategy.

The designation does not impose full sanctions, but bars listed firms from future US defense contracts and is widely seen as a warning to investors and American companies.

Direct Pentagon contracts with listed firms are set to be prohibited later this month, while restrictions on buying their products or services through third parties are due to take effect in 2027, Reuters reported.

Beijing condemned the decision on Tuesday, with Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian saying China “firmly opposes” the US “overstretching the concept of national security” and using “discriminatory lists” to target Chinese businesses.

China has repeatedly accused the US of using national security claims to contain its economic rise and undermine its leading companies.

Several of the targeted firms have also rejected the designation. Alibaba, China’s largest e-commerce company, said there was “no basis” for including it on the list, insisting it is “not a Chinese military company nor part of any military-civil fusion strategy.”

Baidu called the accusation “entirely baseless,” while BYD said it firmly opposed being labeled a military company and would use legal means to defend its interests.

The updated list comes less than a month after US President Donald Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing for talks aimed at managing tensions between the world’s two largest economies. The summit produced no major breakthrough, but both sides agreed to continue dialogue and manage disputes over trade, technology, and security.

US President Donald Trump has confirmed media reports of a US Army Apache attack helicopter going down near the Strait of Hormuz amid Washington’s efforts to curb oil shipments by Iran.

The Apache choppers are one of the key aircraft used by the US military to enforce the blockade of Iranian ports, which had been imposed by Washington to pressure Tehran into agreeing a peace deal and restoring traffic through the strait. The key waterway, which the Iranians control, accounts for some 20% of the global crude oil trade.

“The pilots are fine, nobody injured,” Trump told journalists when asked about the incident on his way back from the third game of the NBA finals in New York late on Monday.

The Apache, which has been in service since the mid-1970s, is usually operated by two airmen.

The New York Times first reported the crash earlier on Monday. The newspaper did not say whether the helicopter had been brought down by hostile fire or suffered a technical malfunction.

In early April, Washington confirmed that two MC-130J Hercules transport planes, four MH-6 Little Bird helicopters, an A-10 Thunderbolt and an MQ-9 Reaper drone had been destroyed during an operation to recover the pilot of an F-15E Strike Eagle that had been downed by Iranian forces. Iranian officials have, at various points during the conflict, claimed that additional US aircraft were shot down, but many of those assertions have not been acknowledged by Washington.

Israel and Iran carried out strikes against each other on Monday in the worst escalation since the start of the April ceasefire between Washington and Tehran. The Iranian authorities claimed that the US bore “direct responsibility” for Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which triggered the exchange.

Despite those developments, Trump claimed that “we’re very close to having a very, very good, strong, powerful deal” with Iran that could be signed in “two or three days.” 

Tehran has rejected American demands to give up its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, while insisting on sanctions relief, the unfreezing of its assets, and an end to Israeli military operations against Hezbollah in Lebanon even before a final agreement is reached.

The US will declare “total victory” over Iran within two weeks, President Donald Trump has said, claiming Tehran was “willing to give us everything.”

Trump made the remark on Monday, hours after Iran and Israel agreed to halt their most intense fighting since an April ceasefire. Earlier that day, Iran declared an end to its attacks on Israel but warned it would respond with “crushing” force if Israeli military operations in Lebanon continued.

“We’ve been a very tough team, and I think we are winning that battle, but you’re really going to win it over the next two weeks when we declare total victory,” Trump stated during a tele-rally for Republican Senator Lindsey Graham.

“It’ll be a total victory, it will happen very soon, and oil prices will come tumbling down,” he added.

According to Trump, Iranian officials are seeking a “very good deal” and are prepared to give the US “everything,” including a pledge not to pursue a nuclear weapon.

Trump’s latest prediction is far from his first. Since announcing an Iran ceasefire in April and declaring the sides were “very far along” toward an agreement, the US president has repeatedly insisted a deal was imminent. Over the past two months, Trump has said or suggested at least 37 times that a breakthrough was near or that Tehran was eager to strike an accord, according to CNN estimates, yet no deal has materialized.

The Iran conflict has also featured in discussions between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

During an April phone call, Putin backed Trump’s decision to extend the ceasefire with Iran, saying it could create an opportunity for negotiations and help stabilize the Middle East.

Putin also warned of “inevitable, extremely harmful consequences” not only for Iran and its neighbors but for the wider international community if the US and Israel resumed military action. A ground operation inside Iran would be “unacceptable and dangerous,” he added.

Vladimir Zelensky has criticized British political party Reform UK for removing Ukrainian flags from public buildings in Britain, warning that such actions can ruin a “big friendship.”

The Ukrainian leader made the comments in an interview with The Guardian during a visit to London on Sunday, where he met Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Asked about the decision by Reform-controlled councils – 24 out of over 350 in the UK – to remove foreign symbols outside British public buildings in the UK, including the Ukrainian flag, Zelensky urged the party to “put it back.”

“Sometimes little, small mistakes can break a big friendship or huge contacts,” Zelensky warned.

A Reform spokesman has defended the decision, telling GB News that it was “entirely reasonable” to support Ukrainians while also believing that only domestic flags should be flown from public buildings in Britain.

Nigel Farage’s party has insisted that only the St. George’s and Union Flags should be flown outside buildings it controls, noting that displaying foreign flags amounts to nothing more than “virtue signalling,” and that British lawmakers should instead focus on improving life in the UK.

Under Reform there will be no foreign flags flown above our public buildings.

Your reaction to this only demonstrates why you lost in the first place. https://t.co/mi8Je2WF24

— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) May 16, 2026

In his interview, however, Zelensky insisted that continued financial support for Ukraine is “in the interests of the UK,” claiming that it contributes to “security in Europe.”

During the same interview, Zelensky also revealed that he had pressed UK Prime Minister Starmer over the frozen proceeds from Russian tycoon Roman Abramovich’s £2.4 billion ($3.2 billion) sale of Chelsea FC. Zelensky insisted that the money, which London had earmarked for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine, should be handed over to Kiev, which would use it to buy anti-ballistic missiles from the US.

The funds remain in limbo amid a long-running dispute over how they should be used. Abramovich, who was sanctioned by London in 2022, has reportedly sought to direct the proceeds toward victims of the conflict on both sides.

Moscow has repeatedly condemned Western military and financial support for Ukraine, arguing that it only prolongs the conflict. Russian officials have singled out London as one of Kiev’s key backers, accusing the UK of pushing for more weapons, sanctions, and aid while obstructing efforts to reach a settlement.

US President Donald Trump threatened to withdraw support for Israel during a tense phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Axios has reported.

Trump has held several heated phone conversations with the Israeli prime minister since Iran announced last week that it was suspending talks with the US over repeated Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

Iran’s conditions for a peace agreement include the cessation of hostilities on “all fronts,” including Lebanon, where nearly 3,700 people have been killed since early March, when Israel resumed strikes in response to attacks by Hezbollah.

Israel and Iran exchanged strikes on Sunday and Monday for the first time since a ceasefire was reached in April, following an Israeli strike in Beirut.

BBC North America editor Sarah Smith said Trump told her by phone on Monday that he had urged the Israeli leader to “use common sense,” adding that he was “very close to signing a very powerful deal” with Iran.

Multiple reports said Trump tried to persuade Netanyahu not to retaliate after Iran launched 11 missiles, all of which were intercepted. According to Smith, Trump said Netanyahu told him that Israeli missiles “were already on the way” by the time they spoke.

“They are neither committed to a ceasefire nor believe in dialogue,” he wrote on X on Sunday.

Iran has accused the US president of starting the war entirely at Israel’s behest, echoing some of Trump’s domestic critics. Trump, however, has argued that he “calls the shots” and recently said that Israel would have no choice but to accept whatever terms he agreed upon with Iran.

The International Criminal Court has suspended its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, pending further proceedings over allegations of sexual misconduct.

In a statement on Monday, The Hague-based court said Khan had been suspended with immediate effect pending a final decision by the Assembly of States Parties.

The court said the decision was based on a report by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), the underlying evidence, written submissions, and advice from an ad hoc panel of experts.

While the court said related documents would remain confidential, Reuters, citing a diplomatic source, reported that the bureau of the ICC’s executive body had ruled that Khan committed “serious misconduct” and recommended removing him from office. He had already taken voluntary leave last year.

The allegations first emerged in 2024, when AP reported that Khan was accused of coercing a female aide into a sexual relationship. Khan has denied any wrongdoing. 

According to the New York Times, UN investigators found evidence that Khan had engaged in “non-consensual sexual contact” with a staff member, but judges initially ruled that the findings did not meet the “beyond a reasonable doubt” standard. The investigation reportedly continued in April, with both sides allowed to submit additional evidence.

In March 2023, the ICC issued warrants for Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country’s top children’s rights official, Maria Lvova-Belova, on charges of the “unlawful transfer” of children from Ukraine. Russia rejected the allegations, saying it had evacuated children from a war zone and reunited them with their families whenever documentation was available.

In November 2024, the court issued warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes in Gaza. Netanyahu dismissed the warrants as “absurd and false.”

Last year, the US imposed sanctions on Khan over his role in authorizing an investigation into the conduct of American troops in Afghanistan and issuing what Washington described as “baseless” arrest warrants for Israeli officials.

Award-winning football referee Omar Artan, the first Somali national to officiate at a FIFA World Cup finals tournament, has been denied entry to the US.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada, has faced scrutiny well before kickoff over a range of organizational concerns, including shifting US entry policies and strict regulations that have led to lengthy match suspensions due to weather alerts and other disruptions.

The latest controversy emerged on Monday when Artan was refused entry and turned away at Miami International Airport despite holding a valid US visa. The Somali referee was forced to return to Istanbul, Türkiye, where he has been based, according to Ciise Aden Abshir, a senior adviser to Somalia’s Ministry of Youth and Sports and a former national team captain.

“Omar Artan is among Africa’s most respected referees and deserves the support of the entire football community,” Abshir told AFP. “Denying him entry to the United States and preventing him from officiating scheduled matches harms not only him personally but also undermines football’s commitment to fairness, merit, and the spirit of fair play,” he added.

“FIFA is not involved in host-country immigration processes, including visa adjudications, and has been informed by the authorities that Mr. Artan’s status will not be changed at this time,” a spokesperson for world football’s governing body told AFP.

No clear reason was immediately known for denying entry for the referee, who became the first Somali national to be picked for the World Cup finals. The decision is likely related to the Trump administration’s broad ban on immigration and visa processing imposed on Somali nationals.

The US has taken other hostile steps against the African nation, moving early this year to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people originating from the country.

In a separate incident, the national team of Senegal was subjected to extensive searching on the runway immediately after they exited their plane. Footage circulating online shows the team’s members being patted down by law enforcement officials and checked with metal detectors. Senegal is another African nation that is on Trump’s travel ban list as well.

Over the weekend, an apparent abrupt policy change in US entry rules affected dozens of Scottish fans days before the start of the tournament, where the Scottish national team will make an appearance for the first time in nearly three decades. Multiple fans found their applications to the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) abruptly switching from “approved” to “pending” or “travel not authorized.” An approved ESTA is usually valid for two years and allows multiple entries, while UK nationals are allowed to stay in the US for up to 90 days without a visa.