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Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, said on Saturday that the Strait of Hormuz would be closed to vessel traffic, citing alleged violations of a ceasefire agreement by the U.S. and Israel, Iran’s Mehr state news agency reported.It said that the closure was the “first step” in response to what it described as breaches of commitments and warned that further measures would be taken if “aggression” continued. Source link
Image by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP Switzerland continues to provide a “discreet and reliable setting” at Bürgenstock to facilitate discussions on implementing a memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Saturday.It added in a statement that no further details would be disclosed about participants and the content of the talks, citing confidentiality. Source link
Volunteers transfer the body of a victim, killed in twin roadside blasts, to a hospital in Bannu on June 20, 2026. Twin roadside blasts killed at…
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi were both headed to Switzerland for talks, Axios said on Friday, as a ceasefire in Lebanon appeared to revive efforts to turn an interim Iran war pact into a lasting regional deal.Israel and Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon on Friday after escalating fighting cast doubt over U.S.-Iran talks critical to reopening the Strait of Hormuz and stabilising oil supplies.That followed a 14-point memorandum the two sides signed this week to halt fighting and open a 60-day window to resolve disputes over Iran’s nuclear program, as well as other thorny issues needed to forge a more durable deal.U.S. Vice President JD Vance canceled plans on Thursday to travel to Switzerland for the talks, however, amid rising tension in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, a militant group backed by Iran.With the ceasefire in place, Witkoff is heading to Switzerland to join Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, who is already there, Axios said. Araqchi plans to travel there on Saturday, it added.The development may signal that both sides intend to begin technical negotiations aimed at securing a permanent truce.The White House did not respond to questions about Witkoff’s travel.A senior U.S. official said the ceasefire took effect around 4 p.m. (1300 GMT) in Lebanon following an exchange of fire, adding that negotiators for the United States and Qatar had worked out the agreement with help from Iran.Two sources from Hezbollah and a senior Israeli official confirmed the ceasefire to Reuters.”If Hezbollah does not attack us, then for us it is not a time of war,” the Israeli official said, adding that Israel would keep its forces in southern Lebanon, where it has occupied an area along its northern border.Two Lebanese security sources said Israel had carried out a dozen airstrikes in the first hour of the ceasefire but none were recorded after 5 p.m.Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes after midnight into Friday had killed 47 people and wounded 97, while the Israeli military said four soldiers had been killed in an incident in Lebanon, without giving further details.The conflict in Lebanon could weigh on negotiations because ending fighting there is a condition for the broader U.S.-Iran accord.TOUGH ISSUES STILL UNRESOLVEDFollowing Wednesday’s signing of the memorandum of understanding, preparations for technical talks at the Swiss mountaintop resort of Buergenstock were well advanced when the White House said on Thursday that Vance would not attend.The Swiss foreign ministry said the talks had been postponed but Switzerland stood ready to facilitate them and preparatory work was continuing.The broad interim deal requires the United States, Iran and their allies to declare an immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts, including in Lebanon.Israel, left out of the talks, says it is not party to the deal.Araqchi, in a telephone call with his Pakistani counterpart on Friday, said the United States would be responsible for any violation of its commitments under the deal, including ending the fighting in Lebanon, his ministry said.NEW ROUND OF ISRAEL-LEBANON TALKS DISCUSSEDLebanon was sucked into the regional war when Hezbollah opened fire at Israel on March 2, prompting it to launch an offensive against the group and invade the south of the country.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned the latest Israeli attacks but said the escalation would not hinder efforts to reach a comprehensive ceasefire.The U.S. State Department said Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke to Aoun and reiterated the need to disarm Hezbollah, while reaffirming U.S. support for a “fully sovereign” Lebanese state.It said they also discussed holding a next round of Israel-Lebanon negotiations in Washington from June 23 to June 25. The Lebanese presidency said a comprehensive ceasefire was a fundamental pillar for these talks.TRUMP DEFENDS INTERIM DEALThe Iran war, which began on February 28 with U.S. and Israeli air attacks on Iran, has killed at least 7,000 people, mostly in Iran and Lebanon. It also pushed up energy prices, stoking inflation worldwide.Brent crude ticked higher on Friday, but was set for a weekly fall of about 8% after the Lebanon ceasefire, and oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz picked up after the signing of this week’s deal.The strait carried nearly a fifth of global crude oil and liquefied natural gas supplies before it was blockaded by Iran during the war.The body set up by Iran to manage the strait said on Friday it would waive planned fees during the interim deal’s negotiation period.The MoU foresees relief for Iran from economic sanctions, the unfreezing of assets worth tens of billions of dollars and immediate U.S. waivers for its exports of oil. It also provides for a $300-billion reconstruction fund for Iran and other financial incentives.Trump again defended the deal after criticism in Washington, including some from Republican allies in Congress who question whether he conceded too much to end a war unpopular with most Americans ahead of midterm elections in November.”The War has diminished Iran!” he wrote on social media on Friday, adding, “We didn’t meet out of desperation, Iran did. They are FINISHED! We’ll play out the 60 days. They get no money, not 10 cents!” (Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Timothy Heritage, Gareth Jones, David Brunnstrom and Nathan Layne; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani, Alistair Bell and Clarence Fernandez) Related Story Source link
Image Source: Mohsin Naqvi on X Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi departed for Tehran on Saturday for meetings with senior Iranian officials, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.IRNA said Naqvi would discuss the progress of negotiations between Iran and the United States during his visit, without providing further details Related Story Source link
As the funeral drew to a close, distraught guests were aghast as regional Ethiopian forces stormed the gathering and arrested young attendees, bundling them into vans destined for army training camps.Witnesses and NGOs have denounced a forced recruitment campaign by the authorities in Tigray, the northern Ethiopian state, which has fought the federal government in recent years and again looks on the verge of conflict.’We were suddenly rounded up and detained,’ said Abel, a man in his 20s, now in hiding after he escaped by bribing a guard.Abel is not one to shirk a fight: he volunteered in 2020 when the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) began a bloody two-year war against the federal government that claimed at least 600,000 lives, according to African Union estimates.A 2022 ceasefire has never been fully implemented, and now both sides accuse the other of preparing a new offensive, with troops massing on the region's border, according to security sources.NGOs allege that forced conscription is once again happening in Tigray, with young men snatched from their homes and the streets in preparation for the war.Human Rights First-Ethiopia said there were indications that ‘forced military recruitment is taking place across most areas of Tigray’.The NGO interviewed 27 witnesses, including 35-year-old Gebre, who said he was arrested in March in northern Tigray as he was opening his shop.’They informed us that we were entering the military,’ he said, describing how he managed to escape by jumping out of a window.Gebre now lives in hiding, missing his five-year-old son.Kinfe, 36, who fled to the federal capital, Addis Ababa, said forced conscription was not new in Tigray.During the recent civil war, the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), the dominant political party in the region, went door-to-door to check each family had contributed at least one son. If not, Kinfe told AFP, the parents had to volunteer.This time, the TPLF has blockaded roads, trapping and detaining young people, before transferring them to a compound and then a camp.Alem, also hiding and near-destitute in the capital, said conscription had begun in his area roughly a month ago.’At first it seemed to be targeted operations, but progressively it came to target all young people,’ he said.’I saw security forces unleash warning shots into the air to stop young people fleeing,’ he added.Amanuel Assefa, TPLF vice-president, told AFP military recruitment was usually ‘only based on consent’.However, he added there are ‘exceptional provisions’ because ‘every Tigrayan has to defend the territory against an existential threat’.Federal authorities did not respond to AFP's requests for comment.Ethiopia's constitution forbids arbitrary detention and forced recruitment.The trauma and exhaustion of the previous war lingers in Tigray, discouraging many from re-joining the military.’Nearly every family lost a family member,’ said Kinfe.Many were bitter at how their leaders behaved after the war.’They kept their comfort while forgetting the martyrs,’ he said, making many believe any future war will only benefit the ‘few’ on top.’The war shouldn't happen, it has to be solved politically. Firing bullets solves nothing,’ he said. Source link
Inflammatory social media posts — including of men brandishing a machete or calling foreigners “leeches” — are stoking emotions around an unofficial demand for illegal immigrants to leave South Africa by the end of the month, fuelling a volatile situation, analysts say.Thousands of foreign nationals — including from Ghana, Mozambique, Nigeria and Malawi — have already headed for the borders as fringe anti-illegal immigration groups push their June 30 “deadline”.The ultimatum has no legal backing but has gained traction through countrywide protests, threats at places where foreigners live or work, and a toxic social media campaign that analysts say has been building for years.”Every morning, when you wake up, you see a traumatising video telling people that they’re going to kill people before June 30,” said Tino Maclean, an activist helping Zimbabweans to leave.”You know the impact of social media these days: when people say they’re going to kill you, you can’t sleep,” he told AFP.Social media has also been effective in rallying South Africans behind radical citizen-led groups mobilising against undocumented migrants, experts said.”The best disinformation campaign is to convince a few people that thousands are convinced,” said Aldu Cornelissen from Murmur Intelligence, which analyses online content.The company has found that a relatively small number of highly active accounts, influencer communities and alternative media networks generate and amplify a disproportionate share of the anti-immigrant content.Posts have included videos with captions reading “June 30, I can’t wait,” or images of the date pierced by bullet holes.The inflammatory rhetoric has been accompanied by a wave of disinformation.AFP Fact Check has debunked numerous videos falsely presented as evidence of attacks on foreign nationals that were in fact filmed years earlier or in other countries.Other posts falsely claimed to show an official government announcement of the June 30 “deadline” using AI-generated notices bearing the national coat of arms.”It is very clear online that there are groups and organisations and individuals who are happy to light a match on a very volatile situation and then walk away when that fire erupts,” public works minister Dean Macpherson told journalists Friday, calling on police to act.Police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe told AFP that intelligence officers were monitoring social media and engaging platforms where necessary.TikTok this week banned the account of one of the movement’s most vocal leaders, Jacinta Ngobese?Zuma, which had more than 378,000 followers, but her other social media accounts remained active.Murmur Intelligence says today’s anti-foreigner mobilisation reflects an ecosystem that has been developing for years, transforming emotionally charged incidents into broader narratives that blame migrants for crime, unemployment and other state failures.”These interests converge around xenophobic civil unrest,” co-founder Kyle Findlay said at a Johannesburg event against hate speech this week.The roots included 2020 campaigns by #PutSouthAfricaFirst campaign and the radical Operation Dudula group that evolved into a “self-sustaining ecosystem” fuelled by anonymous media channels, political support and coordinated online mobilisation, he said.South Africa’s “modern xenophobic movement has been built intentionally over the past six years” but repeated warnings have “fallen on deaf ears”, Findlay said.This “movement has been working to make the forest drier and drier and to raise the grievances that can turn into the sparks to light the forest fire,” he said.South Africa’s laws prohibiting hate speech and incitement to violence mostly predate modern social media platforms, said Kimal Harvey, an attorney at the Legal Resources Centre.The challenge is “translating the South African legal system to the online space”, he told AFP.In 2023, a former Operation Dudula activist was issued a fine or jail term for circulating an inflammatory anti-foreigner voice note on WhatsApp.Duduzile Zuma-Sambudla, daughter of former president Jacob Zuma, is on trial for incitement over social media posts following her father’s jailing in July 2021 which sparked unrest that claimed more than 350 lives.Experts say algorithms continue to reward emotionally charged content to the profit of the companies running social media platforms.”They are not going to self-regulate. It is too lucrative,” said Sharon Ekambaram, who heads the Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme at Lawyers for Human Rights.”Algorithms decide what we get to see first,” said Phathiswa Magopeni, chair of Unesco’s Social Media 4 Peace coalition. “This is why outrage outperforms accuracy.” Source link
The fatal Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading rapidly, the World Health Organization warned Friday, despite accelerating efforts to tackle the virus.The WHO said it was still racing to catch up with the worsening situation gripping the northeastern DRC.”The outbreak remains serious” and is “evolving so fast”, said Marie-Roseline Belizaire, the WHO Africa emergencies chief.”However, I have seen a response that is growing stronger every day,” she told reporters in Geneva, speaking from Bunia, the capital of the DRC’s Ituri province, the outbreak’s epicentre.The outbreak was declared on May 15, though transmission had been going undetected for some time beforehand.It is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment.There have been 896 confirmed cases so far in the DRC, including 232 confirmed deaths, with 21 new cases in the last 24 hours, according to the latest WHO update.More than 90% of known cases in the DRC have been in conflict-wracked Ituri.The outbreak has also spread to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.Belizaire said the epidemic was evolving so quickly that the response was racing to keep pace with the virus, which spreads by close contact and infected bodily fluids.The number of treatment beds available for Ebola patients had gone from zero to more than 500, she said.And surveillance teams were now investigating nearly 400 alerts and were capable of administering more than 2,000 tests a day, she added.Belizaire also highlighted that efforts to trace contacts of known Ebola cases had ramped up, with 75% of all contacts now being reached.The WHO has said 95% of contacts must be traced to get on top of the outbreak.Belizaire said some people falling ill were staying at home, then going to traditional healers, before finally going to healthcare centres, delaying access to treatment.In the DRC, 78 people have recovered after contracting Ebola, which she called a “powerful reminder that a timely diagnosis, access to quality healthcare can save lives”.Belizaire said health workers were hit hard in the early stages of the epidemic.So far, 75 healthcare workers have been infected with Ebola, of whom 17 have died, she said.”In DRC, as we are seeing a large community outbreak, we cannot say for sure they have been infected in a health facility,” she added.”It is a really high price that the healthcare system is paying.”Belizaire said a Chinese medical team had arrived in the capital Kinshasa and would be heading to Bunia.In neighbouring Uganda, the only other country hit, there have been 19 confirmed cases including two deaths, and 10 recovered patients.Uganda has reported no new cases for 12 days.Meanwhile the UN migration agency said it had done more than a mn health screenings at borders and on travel corridors as part of surveillance measures aimed at detecting potential cases. Related Story Source link
Members of the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) shout slogans and hold posters during a protest against alleged mismanagement and scams linked to the National Eligibility-cum-Entrance…
President Donald Trump attends a ceremony in the White House. Reuters President Donald Trump will make a rare trip to Camp David this weekend, returning to the presidential retreat for only the second time since retaking office last year. Trump will hold policy and political meetings during his visit, a White House official said. His family will travel with him for the weekend, which includes Father’s Day on Sunday.The trip comes as Trump works to secure a final agreement to end the war with Iran and faces scrutiny over a provisional peace deal that critics say grants Tehran too many concessions. US-Iran talks in Switzerland planned for Friday were canceled as fighting flared in Lebanon, creating new uncertainty about the timing of negotiations vital to ensure the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to global shipping and restoring peace in the Middle East.Trump last visited Camp David in June 2025, meeting with top military leaders and foreign policy advisers to discuss immigration protests in California, Iran and the war in Gaza. The secluded retreat in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains has not been a regular destination for the Republican president. He has generally preferred spending weekends at his own properties, including Mar-a-Lago in Florida and his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.A Cabinet meeting planned for Camp David in May was moved to the White House because of forecasts for bad weather. Other presidents have used the government-owned retreat about 70 miles from Washington far more frequently, both as a weekend escape and as a setting for diplomacy and policy meetings. Related Story Source link