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Simon Stiell addressed the opening of the UN June Climate Meetings in Bonn, Germany – an important step ahead of the COP31 climate conference in Antalya, Turkiye this November. “Tackling the global climate crisis is the hardest, but most important thing…
Newly appointed head of the National Nutrition Agency Nanik Deyang attends her inauguration ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta Monday. (AFP) Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto Monday appointed a new head of the agency responsible for implementing his flagship free meals programme, replacing the previous office holder who was dismissed and arrested on graft charges last week. Here are some key details about the inauguration:At the presidential palace, Prabowo appointed Nanik Sudaryati Deyang as the new head of the National Nutrition Agency, replacing her predecessor Dadan Hindayana, who was arrested last week on allegations of corruption linked to the free meals programme.Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) also arrested two of the agency’s deputy heads on charges of corruption leading to state losses.The three were accused of manipulating the selection of the foundations managing the programme’s kitchens, and also artificially marking up the prices of electric motorbikes, shoes, and televisions procured as part of the programme.”Our concern is regarding budget efficiency so we will not burden the state budget, while at the same time maintaining the targets we have set,” Nanik said after her inauguration.The efficiency measures include a moratorium on the establishment of new kitchens, “refocusing” the programme on new recipients and developing kitchens in remote areas through grants or CSR programmes from state firm or private companies, rather than the state budget, Nanik said.Prabowo also appointed two new deputy heads of the free meals agency: Agustina Arumsari, former deputy head of Financial and Development Supervisory Agency, and Major General Trenggono who has resigned from the Military.Prabowo also appointed the head of the Labour Party, Said Iqbal, as his new special adviser for manpower and labour welfare affairs.Prabowo’s free meals programme, a key part of his election campaign launched in January 2025, has raised investor concerns about overspending and fiscal deficit risks.The programme has also sparked a public outcry about health and safety, with cases of food poisoning affecting at least 33,000 children as of April, according to the Network for Education Watch, a non-government organisation. Related Story Source…
The 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be a significant milestone for Team Qatar as they prepare to enter the prestigious endurance race for the first time. Partnering with Iron Lynx, the team will field a Mercedes-AMG in the LMGT3 class at the Circuit de la Sarthe.It marks a historic next step for Team Qatar as they ambitiously compete on the global stage in one of the most challenging and demanding races in motorsport. The vision for expansion into elite competition forms part of the wider strategic ambitions of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), alongside its continued commitment to supporting and developing motorsport within Qatar.The No. 62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx entry combines international experience with Qatari representation in the driver line-up. Taking to the wheel for the 24-hour race will be Giuliano Alesi, son of former Ferrari Formula 1 race winner Jean Alesi, alongside Germany Julian Hanses and Qatar’s own Abdulla al-Khelaifi.One of the enduring features of Le Mans is the three separate classes that compete simultaneously on the same track across the 24 hours. The split of the grid into three distinct categories – Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 – creates the multi-class challenge that defines endurance racing. Each class has its own technical regulations, from cutting-edge manufacturer-designed prototypes to production-based GT machinery.This year’s 24-hour race features 62 cars on the entry list, with 14 major automotive manufacturers set to battle for honors. The Hypercar class features the fastest, cutting-edge prototypes from brands such as Ferrari, Toyota, Cadillac and Aston Martin. The entries below Hypercar compete in the Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) class, which is reserved for privateer teams independent from manufacturers and engine suppliers. Team Qatar will compete in LMGT3, the largest of the three classes, with 25 entries and 75 drivers. LMGT3 features race-going versions of some of the world’s most recognizable high-performance sports cars with the GT machines modified for competition, featuring aerodynamic upgrades, racing suspension and bespoke electronics. The key to success is managing traffic, driver rotations, as well as pit stop strategy. Consistency, and avoiding penalties, can often prove more critical than outright speed.Manufacturers in the class showcase GT machinery from the likes of Porsche, Ferrari, Corvette, Aston Martin, McLaren, BMW, Ford, Lexus and Mercedes-AMG, with cars weighing around 1,250kg and capable of speeds approaching 300km/h. A defining feature of LMGT3 is the Pro-Am structure, meaning every line-up must include at least one Bronze-rated driver, alongside a Silver-rated competitor, blending experience with rising talent.While competing at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans on June 13-14 is a milestone moment for Qatari motorsport, it also represents the next chapter in an endurance racing journey which began back in 2023. In its debut season, Team Qatar secured the Porsche 992 (Am) Teams’ Championship in the Middle East Trophy, achieving consistent podium finishes across rounds held in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.The team also expanded into European competition and, in subsequent seasons, became regular front-runners across six, 12, and 24-hour endurance races. In 2025, Team Qatar continued its success with victory in the Amateur (Am) class for the Porsche 992 Generation at the 24 Hours of Dubai, widely regarded as one of the region’s most competitive endurance events and also celebrated success in the 2025 Middle East Trophy, securing the Porsche 992 Teams’ Championship, underlining its consistency across an intensely competitive international season.That momentum continued into the following year with class victories in the 6 Hours of Abu Dhabi and the 12 Hours of Mugello, the latter marking a significant international triumph against established European teams and further highlighting Team Qatar’s progress in elite motorsport. The team further strengthened its endurance racing credentials at the 12 Hours of Spa‑Francorchamps, capturing second place in the Porsche 992 category and victory in the Porsche 992 AM category.Team Qatar’s growing reputation on the international stage was further demonstrated in the opening rounds of the 2026 European Le Mans Series (ELMS). At the Barcelona season-opener, the team claimed LMGT3 pole position, while al‑Khelaifi was named Most Valuable Driver after leading for nearly three-quarters of the race, before securing fourth overall in class.Team Qatar maintained that momentum into Round 2 at Paul Ricard, securing a second consecutive LMGT3 pole position and reinforcing its competitiveness against some of Europe’s most established endurance racing teams.The 24 Hours of Le Mans is a point-scoring round of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), and since 2024 the Qatar 1812 KM has been part of the calendar, bringing top-level international endurance racing to the Lusail International Circuit (LIC). The venue is Qatar’s premier motorsport and entertainment destination, featuring a 5.38km FIA Grade 1 and FIM Grade A circuit alongside state-of-the-art facilities. As a reflection of Qatar’s wider motorsport ambitions, Lusail International Circuit is one of only two circuits in the world to host all three major championships, with WEC joining the Formula 1 (since 2021) and MotoGP (since 2004). Related Story Source link
The site of a Russian drone strike, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine June 8, 2026. REUTERS Russian strikes along the Ukraine war front line Monday killed four civilians, including a 71-year-old man riding a bicycle, and wounded over 30, authorities said.Two women were killed and four children aged between five and 12 were among 18 wounded in an attack on a residential building in Zaporizhzhia, the regional governor Ivan Fedorov said.Fedorov showed on his social media account pictures of bodies under covers and a smashed up building in the centre of the city, which is about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Russian lines.In the northeast region of Sumy, governor Oleg Grigorov reported a Russian attack with mortars and drones on the Seredyna-Buda district.”As a result of the enemy attack, a 71-year-old local resident who was riding a bicycle was killed,” he said.Another Russian attack targeted an apartment block, a bank and a store in Nikopol, in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the head of the local military administration Oleksandr Ganzha said.”One person has been killed and four wounded,” he announced.At least seven people were wounded in strikes at Sloviansk in the Donetsk region and three more in the Odesa region, local authorities said.Daily Russian attacks that claim civilian lives have intensified in recent months, and Ukraine has hit back with its own drone strikes further into Russian territory, saying these are mainly against military and energy facilities.According to a UN estimate published in April, at least 15,850 civilians have been killed in Ukrainian zones since Russia’s invasion was launched in February 2022.Over 2,800 civilians have died in Russian-controlled zones, according to the UN toll, which added that more than 44,800 have been wounded in Ukrainian and Russia-occupied zones. Related Story Source link
Only 10 per cent of all plastics produced are recycled, so most plastics will end up littering streets, entering waterways and reaching the ocean. Each year, some 52…
The US CDC urged strong public health interventions against the current Ebola outbreak, citing their models that show it could otherwise rival the scale of the 2014 West Africa outbreak. That eruption of the virus resulted in more than 28,000 cases and more than 11,000 deaths. “That scale is possible,” said Jason Asher, director of CDC’s Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, during a press briefing.The US projections from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were part of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report documents published Friday. The worst outcomes could be avoided if “a larger proportion of patients were identified, isolated, and treated,” the agency said in its reports. But “the public health response to control this outbreak will likely need to be of similar magnitude to the response for the 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak.” Asher emphasised the models were “not a forecast” but “a planning tool.” “They’re designed to support action, not to generate alarm.” They are based on four possible intervention scenarios ranging from poor (20%) to extremely high (95%) levels of isolation and treatment. If isolation levels are what the CDC would consider poor, with no other interventions there is a 65 percent chance cases will top 20,000 within three months, according to the agency.Satish Pillai, the CDC manager for the Ebola response, said “the total individuals that are infected and requiring isolation remains unclear.” But he said the situation on the ground would indicate levels of isolation are currently on the lower end. Also last week the World Health Organisation and the African Union’s public health agency said $518 million was needed across the next six months to combat the deadly Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo and its neighbors. The outbreak was declared on May 15 in northeastern DR Congo, but the rare Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus is believed to have spread for some time beforehand. According to the WHO’s latest figures, there are 381 confirmed cases in the DRC, including 64 deaths. The outbreak has hit three provinces, with the epicenter in Ituri, which the Africa CDC says accounts for 90% of confirmed cases and 76% of confirmed deaths. Across the northeastern border in Uganda, there have been 16 confirmed cases, including one death. Seven Ebola patients in the DRC and two in Uganda have recovered. Source link
India’s Manav Suthar (centre) celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Afghanistan’s Rahmat Shah during the third day of the one-off Test at the Maharaja…
“These tragedies weigh heavily on us all and should shock the conscience of the entire world,” António Guterres said.“Let me be clear. UN personnel must never…
FILE PHOTO: Aerial view of the United States military headquarters, the Pentagon, September 28, 2008. REUTERS/Jason Reed/File Photo The Pentagon has raised its counterintelligence threat level for Israel to its highest level, US media reported.The Pentagon’s Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) said Israel’s “ability to conduct human espionage and technical collection is at a ‘critical level’,” NBC News said, citing US officials. The move came after concerns that Israel had been attempting to spy on top US officials to get information on “the Trump administration’s internal deliberations and decision-making on the conflicts in the Middle East,” the American network said. The New York Times cited reports of Israeli efforts to eavesdrop on senior officials, including President Donald Trump’s top negotiator, Steve Witkoff, and the Pentagon’s top policy official, Elbridge Colby.The United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on February 28, triggering the war. Since then, Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s relationship appears to be under strain. Trump unleashed a profanity-laced tirade over the phone at Netanyahu over Israel’s threats to bomb the Lebanese capital Beirut, fearing it would undermine talks with Tehran, the Axios news outlet and ABC News reported last week. Source link
German tennis great Boris Becker Alexander Zverev has finally shown the world what he is capable of, tennis great Boris Becker said after the world number three claimed his first Grand Slam title with victory at the French Open on Sunday. After coming up short in three Grand Slam finals, including in Paris two years ago, Zverev beat Flavio Cobolli to become the first German man to win a Slam since Becker’s Australian Open triumph three decades ago. “If there is one player at the very top of the rankings who truly deserves this after years of hard work, of despair, of disappointment – it’s him,” Becker told Eurosport. “He has more than earned it. And to achieve all of this while living with diabetes – that should hardly be possible. It’s incredible. I’m very proud of him.”Zverev, who also has an Olympic gold and two ATP Finals crowns, said he and his team had been losers at some moments but were champions now.”He was under a great deal of pressure and, as he himself admitted, he had felt like a loser up to now,” six-times Grand Slam champion Becker said. “He has turned the page. He is a Grand Slam champion. He showed everyone what he’s capable of today. He is now part of a very special club – and it feels damn good.”Zverev is the fifth German man to win a Grand Slam after Becker, Michael Stich, Henner Henkel and Gottfried von Cramm. Related Story Source link