World Echo

Iranian and US negotiating ​teams were due in Doha this week, but Iran said on Monday no meeting had been scheduled as weekend missile fire from both sides tested the interim ceasefire ‌to end the four-month-old war. Trump is sending his son-in-law Jared Kushner and his envoy Steve Witkoff to lead the negotiating team, according to his press secretary Karoline Leavitt. While Iran is sending its technical delegation to Qatar this week, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said this had "no relation" to the Americans' visit and no talks between the two sides were scheduled. Read: Iran says ‘no planned negotiations’ with US in coming days as Washington says Doha meeting set for tomorrow "We will not have any negotiation meetings at any level with the American side in the coming days," Baghaei ​said. The disagreement over whether the sides would even meet underscored the fragility of a June 17 accord to pause a conflict that has dis...

The US Supreme Court refused on Monday to let Donald Trump fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook as it stood firm to preserve the central bank's cherished independence against an unprecedented challenge by the Republican president. The court, in a 5-4 ruling, blocked Trump from removing Cook for now, providing a safeguard for the Fed specifically, even as it boosted the president's power over government in a separate landmark ruling on Monday. In that ruling, involving Trump's dismissal of a Federal Trade Commission member, the court expanded presidential authority to fire leaders of other US agencies, overturning ​a precedent dating to 1935 in the process. No other president since the central bank's founding in 1913 had sought to oust a Fed governor. In his second term as president, Trump has tested the limits of presidential power in numerous other ways as well. Unproven allegations Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, who authored the ruling, said Trum...

Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said on Monday that “no technical talks” with the US were scheduled this week in the Qatari capital Doha, refuting US media reports about talks to be held this Tuesday. Gharibabadi said media reports about holding technical working-group talks between Tehran and Washington in Doha “are not confirmed,” state news agency IRNA reported.  “Technical meetings of the working groups are not scheduled for this week,” he added. Read: Iran says $6B of its funds in Qatar ‘should be released’ under US deal Gharibabadi said consultations with Qatar were continuing, including efforts to follow up on the implementation of US commitments under the recently signed memorandum of understanding. “Although consultations with Qatar – including on following up on the implementation of the other party’s commitments – are ongoing as usual, the news from some media ou...

Iran and the United States ​agreed to halt recent hostilities in the Gulf and renew talks regarding their dispute over the Strait of Hormuz, a US official said on Sunday, raising ‌hopes of saving an interim peace deal that was under pressure from days of tit-for-tat strikes. “Technical talks are slated to continue on all areas of the MOU. Both sides will stand down for now, and vessels can move freely," the official said, referring to the 14-point memorandum of understanding that was agreed on June 17 under which the strait would be reopened for traffic. Axios, which first reported the cessation ​of hostilities, citing a senior US official, said talks would resume Tuesday in Qatar. A return to diplomacy would follow several days of strikes and counterstrikes since ​an Iranian projectile hit a cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, with both the US and Iran accusing the ⁠other of breaking an interim ceasefire that was agreed to on June 17. Iran launche...

The number of Iranian cyberattacks against Israel has shot up since the launch of the ​US-Israeli offensive against Iran this year, a senior ‌Israeli security official was quoted as saying on Monday. Yossi Karadi, Director General of Israel's National Cyber Directorate, told German ​newspaper Die Welt that in June 2025, ​during Israeli military operations against Iran, Israel's ⁠authorities registered around 1,600 hostile cyber incidents. During the ​same month in 2026, the number had jumped to ​some 4,800 incidents, he told the paper. Read: Iran and Oman hold first meeting of joint committee of Strait of Hormuz, Gharibabadi says "Some groups are very skilled," Karadi said, according to the German text of the ​interview. "We can handle them, but we have to ​take them seriously. Unlike in the kinetic realm, there's no ‌ceasefire ⁠in cyberspace." Karadi said the attacks were directed against systems used by Israel's critical infr...

A crown was blown off an ancient column in a UNESCO-listed site in Lebanon's port city of Tyre. A pilgrimage site for Muslims and Christians alike was destroyed in another southern town. Israeli strikes pummelled the Mamluk-era market in the city of Nabatieh and troops razed centuries-old Lebanese border towns. Israel's nearly four-month air and ground campaign that it says was targeting Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah has damaged or destroyed revered heritage sites across southern Lebanon, Lebanese Culture Minister Ghassan Salame told Reuters. Despite a ceasefire that took hold a week ago, authorities have yet to build a full picture of the damage as Israeli troops still occupy a zone about 10 km (6.2 miles) deep into Lebanon that is off-limits to Lebanese, Salame said. "We cannot work under the shadow of occupation," he said. Read: Hezbollah chief rejects Lebanon-Israe...

France has recorded 1,000 excess deaths during the blistering heatwave sweeping Europe, the public health agency said on Sunday, warning that the true figure was likely to be higher. Detailing its preliminary count of excess deaths, Sante Publique said most of the fatalities involved older people and that it expected the mortality rate to rise as more information became available about deaths in residential care and homes. Read: Europeans told to protect themselves as deadly heatwave takes its toll Europeans have been enduring blistering conditions during a heatwave that has been linked to dozens of deaths - shattering records, disrupting power generation and damaging infrastructure. Scientists have said the heatwave, which began on June 20, was ‌the worst recorded in Europe, where the climate is changing faster than the global average. Extreme heat eases in France The heatwave has been moving east. But while France's weather agency said the extreme he...

South Korea and Japan on Sunday reaffirmed their commitment to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and agreed to revive joint search-and-rescue drills in a step forward for security ties between the neighbouring countries. Meeting in Seoul, South Korean Defence Minister Ahn Gyu-back and his Japanese counterpart Shinjiro Koizumi agreed to work on regional stability bilaterally, as well as through their partnerships with Washington, in the sixth round of talks between the two countries. "Both ministers shared the view to continue cooperation for maintaining regional peace and stability amid a grave security environment," South Korea's defence ministry said in a statement. #국민께알려드립니다 오늘(6월 28일(일)), 안규백 국방부장관과 고이즈미 신지로 일본 방위대신은 서울에서 한일 국방장관 회담을 개최하였습니다. 양 장관은 지난 1월 안규백 국방부장관의 방일, 5월의 싱가포르 회동에 이어 고이즈미 신지로 일본 방위대신의 방한이 성사되고 여섯 번째 회담을… pic.twitter.com/jQsEizq...

A light aircraft crash into Beijing's tallest building on Friday killed ​the pilot and injured 13 people who were not on ‌board, the local government said following the unusual accident for the Chinese capital, where airspace is heavily restricted. Those injured are receiving medical treatment and authorities are ​investigating the incident, Chaoyang district government said in a statement ​on Saturday. "A single-engine, two-seat light sport aircraft collided with ⁠a high-rise building while flying near the East third ring road ​in Chaoyang, at 5:55pm (0955 GMT) on June 26," said the ​statement, which was posted on social media. "There was only one person on board, the pilot, who died," the statement added, without giving any further details of ​the possible cause of the crash. Damage to the facade of the ​skyscraper appeared to be limited to a hole caused by the loss of ‌two ⁠large glass panels. The gap had been temporarily boarded up as ...

An Israeli drone struck the Nabatiyeh area in southern Lebanon on Saturday, Lebanon's state news agency said. The reported strike came a day after Israel and Lebanon signed a US-brokered security arrangement aimed at reducing tensions along their border following months of cross-border hostilities with Hezbollah. Israel and Lebanon signed a framework agreement in Washington on Friday following several days of talks to secure an end to fighting ‌between Israel and Hezbollah. Lebanese Ambassador Nada Moawad and her Israeli counterpart Yechiel Leiter signed the trilateral document with the US at the State Department in Washington. "Today we've taken the first step in what will be a difficult journey, without a doubt, but an important and an essential and a necessary one," US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said before ​the agreement was inked. The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah broke out when the armed group fired at Israel on March 2, days after ...

Bahrain announced on Saturday that its territory was targeted by Iranian drone attacks, condemning and calling it "a blatant violation" of its sovereignty and international law. The Bahraini Foreign Ministry, in a statement carried by the Bahrain News Agency, condemned the attack, saying it involved "a number of Iranian drones," without disclosing the exact location or nature of the target. The ministry said the incident early in the day endangered civilian lives and undermined regional efforts to de-escalate tensions, reaffirming Manama's "full and legitimate right to defend its sovereignty" and calling on the UN Security Council to hold Tehran accountable. Read: Khamenei's adviser warns US, Israel against new war, says Washington failed to uphold commitments The attack came hours after the US said its forces struck Iranian missile, drone, and radar sites late Friday, accusing Tehran of targeting a commercial vessel crossing the Strait of...

Mohsen Rezaei, a senior adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, warned on Saturday that any new military confrontation initiated by the United States or Israel would result in heavy casualties, saying Tehran had entered talks in Switzerland "seriously and swiftly" while Washington had failed to uphold its commitments. Speaking to US-based NewsNation television, the former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), said Iran was prepared to respond forcefully if confronted again. "If the United States or Israel makes even the slightest threat against Iran, the next war will not resemble the previous one," he said. "[US] President Donald Trump should know that this time they would suffer extensive human losses." According to Press TV, Rezaei questioned Washington's commitment to ongoing diplomatic efforts, saying the Iranian negotiating team had entered recent talks in Switzerland "seriously and swiftly," wh...

 Rescuers worked through the night on Friday to save hundreds of Venezuelans trapped in rubble and find thousands ​more missing after two of the biggest earthquakes in Latin America's modern history smashed areas in and around the capital Caracas. The government said 235 dead had been taken to ‌medical centers but did not give a total casualty estimate from the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 tremors that struck about 160 km (100 miles) west of Caracas on Wednesday. A website created to track missing people and shared by opposition leaders from the politically polarized nation listed more than 49,600 people as unaccounted for, while the US Geological Survey predicted more than 10,000 deaths. Read: Thousands feared dead in Venezuela quakes Spain's foreign ministry said three of its nationals had died, four were trapped under rubble and another 99 ​were unaccounted for. With foreign rescue teams arriving, firefighters, soldiers and...

The US State Department announced on Friday that the fifth round of Lebanon-Israel negotiations in Washington had been extended by one day after media reports said that talks failed to bridge a deepening rift over the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. Israel's public broadcaster KAN, citing unnamed sources, said the main dispute centres on what Israel calls the "Yellow Line," or "Anti-tank Line," established in April — an imaginary line extending roughly 8 kilometres (5 miles) inside Lebanese territory from the Israeli border. Israel refuses to withdraw from areas within the Yellow Line and insists on maintaining its presence at the Beaufort Castle hilltop in southern Lebanon. KAN said Israel is considering a partial and conditional withdrawal from some seized areas, while Lebanon is demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal from all villages and towns within the line, including Majdal Zoun, Zibqin, Beit Lif, Tayri and Kounine. The ...

The interim US-Iran peace accord gives UN nuclear inspectors access to Iran, the watchdog's top official said ​on Friday, after Tehran indicated key sites would remain off-limits ‌until a final deal with Washington was reached and sanctions lifted. The US and Iran last week signed a memorandum of understanding paving the ​way for 60 days of talks to resolve thornier ​issues, including those related to Iran's nuclear programme. Iran's ⁠deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on Wednesday there were ​no plans to grant access to inspectors. But International Atomic Energy Agency ​boss Rafael Grossi said on Friday that inspections had to happen. "There is an agreement, and to comply with that agreement, the IAEA will have to ​have access and inspect," he told a press conference in Japan. "We ​hope to be there soon." Read: UN halts escort of ships through Hormuz after vessel comes under attack UN inspectors have already held an initial ...

The city mayor told busy Parisians to slow down on Thursday as large parts of Western Europe remained in the grip ​of a deadly heatwave that has claimed dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, and shut schools and cultural landmarks. Paris faced another sweltering ‌day after temperatures in the French capital hit a June record of 40.9 degrees Celsius (105.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Wednesday. Britain also logged its highest temperature for June on Wednesday, reaching 36.1◦C in southern England as an early summer heat dome hovered over much of Western Europe. Drowning deaths in France France implemented a number of measures against heatwaves after one in 2003 caused nearly ​15,000 excess deaths, with the elderly the hardest hit. This time around, younger people were a particular concern. "The profile of people currently facing health ​risks is not necessarily what one might expect — that is, the most vulnerable, because they are closely monitored and well ⁠info...

Iraq may reconsider its membership in OPEC if the producer group does not raise the country's oil production quota, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing Iraq's Oil Ministry. The ministry has no current intention of withdrawing from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and remains committed to working within the group's framework and mechanisms, Bloomberg reported, citing Oil Ministry spokesman Salim Al-Rikabi. Read: US eases Iran oil sanctions with 60-day waiver However, Iraq is moving ahead with plans to increase oil production in line with its capabilities and needs, and OPEC should raise the country's production quota accordingly, Al-Rikabi said. Otherwise, Iraq would have to decide whether to remain in the group or withdraw, according to the Bloomberg report. The comments came as Iraq's oil exports have been sharply curtailed by the war, increasing pressure on Baghdad to seek more room to raise output. Read more: Oil falls almost 4%...

Authorities in northern France were scrambling on Wednesday to restore electricity to thousands of homes hit by power cuts amid a blistering heatwave that has scorched much of western Europe for days. Healthcare centres and critical ​sites were being prioritised in the effort, with generators provided to tide over retirement homes after ‌Tuesday's outages, blamed on a transformer incident, they added. "The incident was accidental and related to the current heat wave," officials said in a statement. "No one was injured." Record-breaking temperatures across Europe, ranging as high as 18 degrees Celsius above normal, according to the Reuters ​Climate Monitor, have disrupted transport networks and forced schools and tourist sites to shut. Weather agency Meteo France ​has said the conditions are comparable to a heatwave in August 2003 that lasted ⁠16 days and caused an estimated 80,000 excess deaths across Europe. It was not certain how long the current...

A United States F-15 pilot rescued after being shot down above Iran in April reported seeing an unusual “jellyfish” formation of Iranian drones before ejecting, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing sources. During a post-mission debrief, the pilot reportedly told intelligence officials he observed several drones moving together in a pattern resembling a “jellyfish”, sparking debate within the US intelligence community. If accurate, the sighting could indicate a significant advancement in Iran’s drone technology, said the report. One source familiar with the account described it as “multiple drones interconnected and moving as one with smaller drones below the bigger drones like legs.” The source added, “Real alien (expletive).” Read More: Iran says technical talks with US concluded in Switzerland Another source said the pilot saw a “minefield of drones” in the sky, according to the report. Investigators are still de...

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution on Tuesday aimed at strengthening accountability for crimes committed against UN peacekeepers, underscoring the need to investigate and prosecute attacks targeting personnel serving in peace operations. The resolution, co-authored by Pakistan and Denmark, received the support of all 15 Council members and was co-sponsored by more than 100 UN member states. A helpful effort from @PakistanUN_NY and @Denmark_UN to bolster the Council's political attention on and UN machinery in response to crimes committed against @UNPeacekeeping https://t.co/vXp96MWYWf — Daniel Forti (@FortiD) June 23, 2026 According to the UN, as many as 1,095 peacekeepers have been killed in malicious acts since 1948, including 359 since 2013, while several thousand others have been injured. Ahead of the vote, Pakistan's UN envoy Asim Iftikhar Ahmad said the Security Council must go beyond expressions of concern. Statement...

Iran's chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Tehran will administer the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported on Tuesday, following talks pushing to end the US-Israeli war on the Islamic republic. Iran and the United States agreed on Monday to set up communication lines to keep the vital shipping route open and end fighting in Lebanon, mediators said, after their first round of talks in Switzerland toward ending the conflict that has engulfed the Middle East. "The Strait of Hormuz will never return to its pre-war conditions and will be administered by the Islamic Republic of Iran, in accordance with international law," Ghalibaf said on his return from the talks, according to IRNA. In a video posted to Ghalibaf's Telegram account, he said the talks at the luxury Swiss resort of Burgenstock produced "good achievements". "In my view, this trip had good achievements, especially regarding the discussion of the Strait, the Lebanon disc...

World leaders are "feeding" wars instead of the hungry, Pope Leo ‌said on Monday, telling the UN food aid agency that global priorities were badly skewed. Leo, who has been more outspoken on political issues in recent months, urged governments to increase their spending ​to combat hunger and not subject food aid to limits based on geopolitical ​concerns. "Conflicts are 'fed' more readily than people are nourished," the first US ⁠pope said in a visit to the Rome headquarters of the World Food ​Programme (WFP). "This reality reflects not only operational shortcomings but also a fundamental imbalance in political ​and moral priorities," he said. The WFP is the largest provider of food aid worldwide. Its biggest donor is the US, which announced a new $800 million contribution last week, following earlier cuts by President ​Donald Trump that more than halved planned US funding. Pope says access to food is a fundame...

The Indian government is in talks with the UAE to sell some of its flagship defence systems, including the supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, four Indian sources said, as the Gulf nation steps up arms ​procurement following the war in the Middle East. The discussions, which have not been previously reported, include the potential sale of India's air defence system Akashteer, two sources ‌with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. "UAE has shown interest for a number of our weapon systems including BrahMos and Akashteer. The talks between India and UAE are at initial stages and are progressing fast," said a third source with direct knowledge of the matter. Indian officials and the UAE foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment. BrahMos, jointly developed by India and Russia, is among the world's fastest cruise missiles and can be launched ​from land, sea and air platforms, while Akashteer is a fully automated air defence system develop...

Scottish police said on Sunday they had charged a 36-year-old man after a series of attacks in Edinburgh on Friday, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer said ​appeared to have an anti-Muslim motive. Five men sustained injuries in the attacks ‌and three required hospital treatment for non-life-threatening injuries, police had previously said. Videos on social media showed a half-naked, tattooed, white man who appeared to be carrying a large weapon chasing an Asian man and ​then attempting to break his way into a restaurant, before later being handcuffed ​on the ground by police. The BBC reported that the attacks appeared ⁠to have begun near a mosque in the west of the Scottish capital before ​continuing at other locations in the city. 🚨 BREAKING: A 36-year-old white Scottish man is being investigated by Counter Terrorism Police after five people were stabbed in Edinburgh He said after his arrest: "I'm protecting the country from these fucking Muslim bastards rapin...

Pakistan and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkiye on Sunday reaffirmed the importance of continued consultation and coordination among the four countries in support of peace and stability, while welcoming the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the United States and Iran. The R-4 Ministerial meeting was held in Cairo, where FM Ishaq Dar, Saudi Arabia's Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, Turkiye's Hakan Fidan and Egypt's Dr Badr Abdelatty discussed regional and international developments. According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, the foreign ministers met in Cairo at the invitation of Egypt. “The ministers expressed their deep appreciation to President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for sharing his vision of the region's future as a guidance to the group's efforts aiming at bringing stability to the Middle East,” the statement said. Read: US-Iran talks begin in Switzerland, says Qatar It added ...