Fresh headlines and publisher-supplied excerpts from Kenya, Africa and the world—collected in one transparent, attributed briefing.
Fourteen men are on trial over the deaths of 31 migrants who drowned while attempting to cross the English Channel in 2021. The accused, who are allegedly linked to people-smuggling networks, are facing charges including manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration.
Read briefingFighting is intensifying between government-aligned forces and the Iran-backed Houthis, as fears rise over a return to full-scale war. Al Jazeera’s Nour Hegazy looks at what’s happening.
Read briefingCuba reports record losses from the US embargo as foreign minister describes months of punishing blackouts.Cuba says it is not currently negotiating with the United States, as the Trump administration continues its campaign of economic pressure on the island.Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez said on Monday that Havana and Washington are not negotiating, and that there is no agenda for future talks.His comments came during a media conference, as he laid out Cuba’s latest estimate of the damage caused by the decades-old US embargo, imposed since former leader Fidel Castro‘s communist revolution in 1959.The Cuban government says the US embargo cost its economy $8bn between March 2025 and February 2026, the highest figure yet recorded and seven percent more than in the previous reporting period.The total does not include some of Washington’s more recent sanctions, including restrictions on the island’s energy supply imposed in January and secondary sanctions imposed in May, said Rodriguez.In a post on X, Rodríguez called the policy one of “economic asphyxiation” and described the blockade, which Havana has long blamed for shortages and economic hardships, as “genocidal”.“These are long months of living with only two or three hours of electricity per day or less,” Rodríguez wrote, painting a bleak picture of what the country’s worsening energy crisis looks like for Cubans.He described food spoiling without refrigeration, parents fanning their babies through the heat, children trying to do their schoolwork in the dark and young people going without internet access.“All family life [is] damaged,” he said, adding that Cuba is not a threat but the blockade is.Rodríguez called the situation “collective punishment”, blaming what he described as a US “energy siege”, an “extreme tightening of the blockade” and secondary sanctions.Tensions between Washington and Havana have intensified under US President Donald Trump, even after officials held talks earlier this year. Those contacts have since stopped.Rodríguez said the General Assembly will take up its annual resolution calling for an end to the US embargo on October 27 and 28.He accused Washington of putting “extraordinary pressure and intimidation” on other UN member states ahead of the vote, but said Cuba still expects “overwhelming support” for ending the embargo.
Read briefingThe far-right Alternative for Germany is just short of a majority in a regional election.Early results show the Alternative for Germany finished on top in Sunday’s election in the east German state of Saxony-Anhalt, with about 44 percent of the vote. The AfD is now close to becoming the first far-right party to lead a German state since World War II. It’s benefitted from voters’ economic concerns and increasing anger over immigration.The party is also leading in national polls. But Germany’s domestic intelligence agency has classified its branch in Saxony-Anhalt as a proven right-wing extremist group – a label the AfD has rejected. Chancellor Friedrich Merz insists there can be no co-operation with the AfD, and mainstream German parties have been maintaining a ‘firewall’ against forming coalitions with the far-right. But it’s not clear if the strategy will hold.So, what does the AfD’s rise mean for Germany – from its immigration policy to its role in Europe?Olaf Boehnke – Berlin Director of the political consultancy Rasmussen Global and former Senior Advisor in the German BundestagMax Otte – Founder of Privatinvestor Capital and a 2022 German presidential candidateUlrich Brueckner – Professor of European Studies at Stanford University in Berlin
Read briefingThe United Kingdom’s government has reiterated that it rejects reparations for Britain’s role in the transatlantic slave trade as Jamaica has petitioned King Charles III over the issue.Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s spokesperson said on Monday that “the UK does not and will not pay reparations”.Successive British governments have refused to engage in discussions about slavery reparations, while accepting that the country significantly benefitted from the trade.UK leaders have previously acknowledged the horrors of slavery and continue to do so, but have never formally apologised for Britain’s role in sustaining it.Burnham’s spokesperson labelled the practice as “abhorrent”, but maintained that position and insisted no compensation will be paid.A delegation led by Jamaican Culture Minister Olivia Grange delivered a petition to Buckingham Palace on Monday, asking King Charles to seek legal advice from the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.The petition poses three questions for the king to consider: whether the enslavement of Africans in Jamaica was legal under English law; whether it violated international law; and whether the UK has a legal obligation to provide compensation for the harms caused by slavery.The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council is the final court of appeal for Jamaica and some other Commonwealth countries and territories.The Jamaican delegation is seeking $10bn in reparations and says it is the first time a Commonwealth country has tried to use this legal route.King Charles is currently in Scotland and was not present at the palace as the petition was delivered.“Once again Charles ducks for cover when the issue of slavery and empire is raised,” said Graham Smith, CEO of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic.Minister Grange is also seeking the return of Caribbean artefacts held in British museums. Despite the king’s absence, and the government’s reiteration that reparations will not be paid, Grange told the Reuters news agency that she was “encouraged”.Last month, a United Nations committee concluded that countries are legally obliged to consider slavery reparations, warning that racial discrimination could not be tackled without “a full commitment to review and redress the ongoing harms and consequences of the trafficking of enslaved Africans and racialised slavery”.
Read briefingSyria’s Assad-era nuclear facility was configured to produce material for possible use in nuclear weapons, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency has reported.The nuclear reactor, which the United Nations nuclear watchdog has been investigating with the cooperation of Syria’s new authorities, would have been able to produce fissile material that could be used for weapons, IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi told a media conference in Vienna on Monday.“This is a reactor that is very efficient in the production of fissile material that could be used directly for the fabrication of nuclear weapons,” he said.Grossi’s comments came a week after the UN watchdog revealed in a confidential report that it had visited several sites in Syria in August and carried out verification work.Based on observations at the Deir Az Zor site, the agency said it confirms “that the cooling infrastructure which has now been uncovered is consistent with that of a nuclear reactor”.The agency added that it would continue to monitor the activities at the site “as the excavation work progresses”.Syria was believed to have operated an extensive, undeclared nuclear programme under former President Bashar al-Assad that included a nuclear reactor built by North Korea in Deir Az Zor.It only became public knowledge after Israeli air strikes in 2007 destroyed the facility. Syria later levelled the site and never responded fully to the IAEA’s questions about it.Grossi said when the inspectors visited the site in August they had to “tear down walls” and go through “very difficult and narrow passages” to reach the nuclear material that had been hidden. The site had “boxes scattered all over the place,” he said.Grossi said that “the important thing is that this material now is under safeguards” of the IAEA, adding that agency inspectors had managed to install cameras there.Israel is believed to have its own undeclared atomic weapons programme, which makes it the only nuclear armed country in the Middle East. Israel neither confirms nor denies having nuclear weapons.The IAEA has said that the former Syrian authorities had failed to report nuclear material, facilities and activities.Besides the nuclear reactor at Deir Az Zor, the IAEA listed a fuel fabrication plant, where nuclear fuel for the reactor was manufactured and a store for the nuclear fuel, uranium scrap and waste.During the visit to Syria last month, an IAEA team also visited a previously undeclared site.The Syrian administration – made up of the group that overthrew Assad in 2024 – notified the agency of its existence in July and invited the nuclear inspectors to investigate.
Read briefingA shop worker has been hailed a ‘hero’ after CCTV video showed him diving into traffic to save a child who had walked out onto a busy road in Puebla, Mexico.
Read briefingSpeaking at the Venice Film Festival, Oscar-winning actor Susan Sarandon says she continues to lose out on work for speaking out against Israel’s war in Gaza, despite a broader shift in public opinion in the US.
Read briefingRecent opinion polls suggest the opposition bloc is ahead of the prime minister’s coalition.Benjamin Netanyahu is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister. And he’s hoping to win another term when voters choose a new parliament or Knesset next month.He’s spent most of the past three years fighting Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran. His aim was to end what he calls the existential threat from Israel’s enemies.On October 27, his leadership will be put to the test, as recent opinion polls suggest the opposition is in the lead.Efraim Inbar – Founder and senior researcher at The Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security
Read briefingAt least five people have been killed and nine rescued after a building housing mostly students collapsed in New Delhi’s Satya Niketan area. Emergency services are continuing to search the rubble for survivors.
Read briefingThe Michigan Senate hopeful spoke about his faith and the experiences of Muslim Americans.The Democratic Senate candidate for the US state of Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, has used a speech in Detroit to discuss Muslim American identity, while also blasting the US and Israel’s war on Iran.At the Annual Islamic Society Conference on Saturday, the 41-year-old Democrat and public health advocate, who has been on the receiving end of Islamophobic remarks during this election cycle, addressed Islamophobia in the US.“We find ourselves in a moment now, where as people point to us, Muslim Americans, they want to tell us that we don’t belong,” he told the crowd. “They want to tell us that this country is not ours. They want to tell us that because of our names and how we pray, somehow we are less than. But as I look in front of me, I see people who contribute to that big America every single day.”El-Sayed, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for the US Senate seat in November’s midterms, will face a high-stakes general election battle against Republican Mike Rogers. The former US Representative is backed by President Donald Trump.After weeks of trading barbs online, the two candidates have finally agreed to hold two televised debates, the first on October 8 at Wood TV8 in Grand Rapids, the second on October 21 at WXYZ-TV in Detroit.Addressing the state of Muslim American belonging, El-Sayed said that “at their best, being Muslim makes us better Americans … and being American enables us to be better Muslims,” he said. He added that the two sets of ideals are “not mutually exclusive.”During his speech, El-Sayed also questioned the US government’s spending priorities under Trump against the backdrop of continuing military escalations and overseas quagmires.“How are you gonna pay for that [war in Iran] while we know our infrastructure is crumbling and our literacy rates are tumbling?” he asked the crowd. “It’s time for us to focus on addressing the problems that people in our country need solved.”Travelling across the Midwestern state in recent weeks, El-Sayed said that he found residents’ concerns transcended religious, racial and geographic divides. He said they were “basic needs” like paying for groceries and gas “instead of dropping bombs or doing apartheid or genocide against somebody else and their kids”, referring to Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza.“Michiganders don’t care how you pray,” he said. “They care what you pray for and what you hope for.”
Read briefingTwo new eruptions were recorded as Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau continued to spew volcanic ash, disrupting hundreds of flights at six airports. Travellers describe sudden cancellations, while residents deal with ash blanketing roads and public spaces.
Read briefingPresident Javier Milei says sovereignty over the islands remains a national objective.It has been dormant for decades, but the row between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the Falkland Islands has been revived.It started with a joint British-Israeli oil exploration project off the archipelago’s north coast, to which Buenos Aires vehemently objected.President Javier Milei has now threatened to sanction companies operating there.His push to reclaim the islands was bolstered by United States President Donald Trump’s comment that he may reconsider Washington’s position on the territory.Diego Guelar – Former Argentinian ambassador to the US, European Union and China
Read briefingManchester United were outspent in transfer window, but boss Michael Carrick says team ready to fire ahead of Everton trip.Who: Everton vs Manchester United What: English Premier League Where: Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, United Kingdom When: Sunday, August 6, at 2pm (13:00 GMT). How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will have all the build-up from 10:00 GMT ahead of our live coverage.Manchester United manager Michael Carrick said he is delighted with the additions to his squad despite being outspent by Premier League rivals in the transfer window and short on depth in some areas.United put their efforts into rebuilding Carrick’s midfield, with Casemiro’s exit and a serious injury to Manuel Ugarte offset by the acquisitions of Andrey Santos, Youri Tielemans and Carlos Baleba for a combined 155 million pounds ($210m).The Red Devils’ fiercest rivals spent almost that budget on a single player as Manchester City broke the British transfer record for Enzo Fernandez, while Liverpool splashed up to 123 million pounds ($166m) on French winger Bradley Barcola.Despite returning to the Champions League for the first time in three seasons, Carrick hinted at having to work within financial restrictions.“We went into the window wanting to come out stronger from the group that we had last season. We’ve definitely added to that,” Carrick told a pre-match media conference ahead of Sunday’s trip to Everton.“I think we’ve done a lot of good work in that respect and the situation is what it is in terms of finances and what we can work with and what we’re trying to get the most of.“Certainly, the players that we’ve brought into the group I’m absolutely delighted with and I think we’ve done some really good business there.”United look particularly short in defence with the injury-prone Luke Shaw their only senior option at left-back.“What squad ever is the perfect squad? You’ve always got to find ways of adapting,” Carrick added.“When you’re building and trying to push to go through a period where we’re trying to get to the top – that’s the ultimate goal – you’ve got to make steps.”Joshua Zirkzee was among those expected to leave Old Trafford to boost the funds available to Carrick.Despite interest from Fiorentina and Juventus and a deadline-day approach from Everton, the Netherlands international remains at United, despite limited game time over the past two seasons.“He wants to play more than he has done and that’s the good competition and healthy competition for places,” said Carrick.“Josh can do some really, really top things. I’ve seen it myself, and I know he can do that and looking forward to him doing that a little bit more often for us.”After a dreadful 2-0 defeat at newly-promoted Hull on the opening weekend of the season, United bounced back to thrash Ipswich 5-2 thanks to a Bruno Fernandes hat-trick last time out.Everton boss David Moyes conceded he is left with a small squad after a disappointing transfer window in which key players departed and a deadline day medical fell through as they tried to sign American striker Folarin Balogun.Moyes expressed frustration at his club’s close-season business, revealing they did not want to lose Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye but were powerless when bigger teams like Manchester City look to sign their players.“Disappointed we didn’t do more business and disappointed things didn’t go our way in the end. Sometimes in football you have to live with disappointment and we will move on,” Moyes told reporters on Friday.“I know what I needed and I know what it’s like to build a squad for the Premier League, I know the numbers you need. I’ve been around long enough to know that, but some things went against us and some things could have gone better.“Ultimately, we didn’t want to lose a lot of the players, but for different reasons that had to happen.”AS Monaco chief executive Thiago Scuro said Everton raised concerns over Balogun’s medical late on deadline day and that the US international pulled out because he was uncomfortable with the doubts raised by the Merseyside club over his health.“The player had a problem in his medical and that was simply it. There’s no other story behind it.”Everton’s Fans’ Forum also criticised the club’s planning and recruitment after the transfer window closed, saying supporters deserved answers after another window marked by late activity and a failed pursuit of key targets.With a thin squad, Moyes said Everton’s academy players would have to step up but was unsure if they could fill the gaps.“Are they ready to make the step up? I’m not sure about that. We will see how that goes, some of them might be pushed in,” Moyes said.“They’re all going to have to be able to muck in as we’ve got a real small squad now,” he added.“It gives opportunities to some people who have not had them and sometimes in football you need to be given that chance so that you can show what you can do. Let’s see if some of them can do that.”
Read briefingColombian authorities blame ELN rebel group for attack that reportedly included drones dropping explosives on compound.Colombian authorities have said that at least three soldiers have been killed and several more injured after an attack on a military compound by an armed group that included drones used to drop explosives.The Colombian army said on Saturday that the attack had been carried out by the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN) the night before in the municipality of Ocana, which is in the area bordering Venezuela. Two soldiers were killed in the clashes, along with a third who died after receiving medical attention. Four were injured.“To the ELN I say with absolute clarity: for every police officer or soldier you kill, I will bring down on you the full weight and legitimate force of the State,” President Abelardo de la Espriella said in a statement on social media condemning the attack.Authorities said that drones dropped explosives onto the compound in the department of Norte de Santander before fighting took place within the facility. The news service AFP reported that at least 20 drones loaded with explosives were utilised in the attack, citing an unnamed security official.De la Espriella won office pledging to return Colombia to militarised confrontation with armed groups and criminal organisations that have jostled for influence across the country, despite concerns that it could lead to surging violence and possible rights abuses.Deadly attacks by armed groups have continued to rattle the country since his inauguration.The attack on Friday took place in the northeastern Catatumbo region, where the ELN is based and where the government has carried out military raids against armed groups.De la Espriella has also promised closer ties with the United States, which has sought to expand its military involvement in the region under the so-called “Shield of the Americas” initiative.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet with de la Espriella, a former lawyer who previously represented leaders of paramilitaries, in the Caribbean city of Barranquilla next week.
Read briefingAl Jazeera’s Nida Ibrahim challenged US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee after he portrayed violent Israeli settlers as a small minority.
Read briefingNiger’s government has widened its blame to unnamed neighbours a week after the assault on a military base.France has dismissed as “pure fantasy” Niger’s claim that Paris helped incite a mutiny in which soldiers stormed a military airbase and the presidential palace in the capital, Niamey.French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot made the comment on Saturday, a week after the August 29 assault and a day after Niger’s ruling military council met for the first time since the unrest and repeated its accusations against France.“This operation, with its international ramifications, was instigated and sustained by a vast network of collusion headed by the French regime of Mr [Emmanuel] Macron,” said Soumana Boubacar, Niger’s government spokesperson, in a statement read out on TV on Friday.“Traitorous and renegade elements, to whom promises of great things were made, were tasked with carrying out unfulfilled ambitions of Macron and his cronies in our country,” he claimed, saying such “undermining manoeuvres will always fail”.In response to the accusations, France’s Barrot dismissed the claims and told RFI radio on Saturday: “There never was any intention, nor means that France would have mobilised.”The exchange marks the latest strain in a relationship that has soured sharply since General Abdourahamane Tchiani seized power in a 2023 coup and turned to Russia for military backing instead of France, Niger’s former colonial power.The mutiny last week began at Base 101, a military facility inside Niamey’s international airport, when soldiers turned on their commanders and opened fire at several sites in the city.Fighting spread to the presidential palace and knocked the state broadcaster off air for hours, before Niger’s army, helped by Russian paramilitary fighters known as Africa Corps, retook the base the next day.State media said hundreds of soldiers took part, and dozens were killed or arrested.Niger’s government has since widened its accusations beyond France, saying unnamed “African brothers” served as a bridge for the plot, after state television aired a video of an air force captain naming Benin, Chad, Ivory Coast and the regional bloc ECOWAS as backers of the attack.Benin’s government has rejected the claim, with a spokesman saying “no one in their right mind” believes it.In that same meeting, Niger’s government acknowledged for the first time that civilians had died in the violence.That admission came amid a pattern in which Tchiani, who has not appeared in public since the mutiny, has blamed France and other West African states for unrest without producing evidence, which analysts say is aimed more at shaping opinion at home than any legal case.The pivot to Russia has done little to stop attacks by fighters linked to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), leaving front-line soldiers who have suffered heavy losses increasingly frustrated, a grievance analysts regard as the true driver of the mutiny.Relations with Paris have soured further still over Niger’s seizure of uranium assets from French nuclear firm Orano.
Read briefingMexican authorities seized nearly 17 tonnes of methamphetamine from three clandestine laboratories in Sinaloa and dismantled the 5,700-square-metre facility where the drugs were produced. Officials estimated the operation caused criminal groups an economic loss of $347 million.
Read briefingLori Chavez-DeRemer reportedly used staff for personal tasks, drank at work and violated ethics regulations.A federal watchdog in the United States has published a report detailing allegations of misconduct involving former US Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who resigned in April.On Thursday night, the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General released 44 pages detailing incidents where Chavez-DeRemer reportedly blurred the line between her public office and personal life.The report drew from 500 documents and interviews with 53 current and former Labor Department employees, as well as one employee from another federal agency.It said 38 of the interviewees described the secretary’s office as a “toxic, intimidating and humiliating” workplace.It also accuses Chavez-DeRemer of using government employees for private errands, drinking alcohol in her office during working hours and developing an “inappropriate relationship” with a member of her security detail.The rumours of misconduct ultimately forced Chavez-DeRemer to leave her post on April 20.She became the third cabinet secretary to leave the second administration of President Donald Trump, after the departures of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi earlier this year.Chavez-DeRemer, a former Republican Congress member from Oregon, was sworn in on March 11, 2025. Her position lasted just over a year.The final months of her tenure saw the resignations of several high-level staff members. One, Melissa Robey, claimed in media reports that she was fired under pressure from the White House after sitting down with the inspector general’s office.Thursday’s report alleged that Chavez-DeRemer oversaw a hostile workplace, with senior staff having “routinely engaged in threatening, demeaning, and abusive verbal and written communication” towards their colleagues.It cited incidents of Labor Department employees being berated in front of colleagues and threatened with termination.Some of the episodes involved Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff, Rebecca Wright. She allegedly relocated one employee’s desk to avoid having a “fat person” seen in the front office, and she reportedly advised another employee not to cut her hair too short to avoid looking like a “lesbian”.The report alleges that Chavez-DeRemer was aware of such incidents but failed to take action to prevent them from happening.Investigators also found that Chavez-DeRemer herself directed government employees to perform personal tasks during official time.A personal aide and executive assistant were reportedly sent to her residence to organise her closet, hang laundry and arrange her clothing and purses.Investigators said another employee, who was Hispanic, was directed to oversee workers at Chavez-DeRemer’s home, including a moving crew.Employees were also tasked with buying personal items, including gifts, picture frames, holiday decorations and alcohol, according to the report.Chavez-DeRemer, Wright and her deputy chief of staff also regularly drank alcohol in the secretary’s study during duty hours, according to witness reports. Some employees said they felt pressured or ridiculed when they declined to participate.Department of Labor policy requires advance written authorisation for alcohol on federal property. Investigators found no record that the required approval had been obtained.The watchdog also zeroed in on aspects of Chavez-DeRemer’s personal behaviour that violated government ethics standards.Regulations prohibit government employees from using their office “to coerce or induce another person, including a subordinate, to provide” them with “any financial or other benefit”.It also bars officials from requesting subordinates to use government time for activities that fall outside their job’s official duties.But the report determined that Chavez-DeRemer developed an “inappropriately close and unprofessional” relationship with a senior agent on her protective detail.Witnesses reported seeing Chavez-DeRemer massaging the agent’s shoulder, golfing and gambling with him, and leaving an event walking arm-in-arm.The report, however, did not find “sufficient” evidence to conclude the relationship was sexual.Still, investigators documented conduct where the relationship between Chavez-DeRemer and the agent created conflicts of interest or inappropriate work situations.The report describes an April 2025 incident in which Chavez-DeRemer was taking a personal trip to Oregon and asked her security detail to make an off-the-record stop at a club featuring partially nude dancers.The senior agent she was involved with was also on the trip. A limousine driver objected to her requests to drop money onto a performer, but the senior agent reportedly instructed him to comply.The agent occasionally reduced the number of officers covering Chavez-DeRemer or assumed sole responsibility for her protection.Investigators obtained electronic hotel door lock records suggesting the two spent time overnight in each other’s rooms and reviewed video footage that documented his visits to her home.
Read briefingUS President Donald Trump called the war with Iran ‘small potatoes’, saying just 18 Americans had been killed compared with 100,000 in Vietnam. He called US strikes ‘intermittent’ and threatened to attack Pickaxe Mountain, whose tunnels are said to hold Iran’s enriched uranium.
Read briefingSeveral explosions rocked the southern Lebanese town of Mansouri after Israeli military drones dropped explosives in the area.
Read briefingIsraeli attacks against villages and towns across southern Lebanon continue despite truce agreements and diplomacy.An Israeli air strike targeting a motorcycle has killed two people in the Lebanese town of Kfar Reman, the Ministry of Public Health has said, as Israeli forces intensify attacks on southern Lebanon.Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported on Friday that the strike hit in Nabatieh near the strategic Ali al-Taher ridge, which the Israeli army said it had captured, though Hezbollah did not confirm losing it.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz on Friday claimed the military had cleared Hezbollah fighters embedded in tunnels under the strategic ridge, which overlooks a wide area that has become one of the most hotly contested.Israeli raids and artillery shelling also targeted seven towns in the Tyre and Nabatieh districts, causing no casualties.NNA said the attacks hit al-Mansouri, Majdal Zoun, Buyout al-Sayyad, Beit Lif and Srebbine in the Tyre district, as well as Zawtar al-Sharqiyah and Mayfadoun in Nabatieh.Israeli forces said they intercepted a Hezbollah drone beyond the “Yellow Line”, an area Israel has claimed as a security zone. In a statement, the military said it would strike southern Lebanon in response.The attacks come amid continued Israeli escalation against villages and towns across southern Lebanon despite two truce agreements – on June 4 and 26 – mediated by United States President Donald Trump’s administration.The June 4 ceasefire was contingent on a “complete cessation” of Hezbollah fire and the evacuation of its fighters from the area south of the Litani River.The June 26 framework agreement did not specifically call for the withdrawal of the Israeli forces and instead tied it to the disarmament of Hezbollah.Since March 2, when the latest Israeli escalation in its war on Lebanon began, Israeli attacks have killed more than 4,000 people and injured at least 12,000 others, while forcing more than one million people from their homes, according to Lebanese authorities.Israel has expanded its military presence across swaths of southern Lebanon since launching its new campaign against Hezbollah, which fired rockets into Israel in retaliation for US-Israeli air strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.On Friday, Israeli authorities separately released four Lebanese people who had been held in Israeli prisons after being detained in southern Lebanon.They were transferred to Lebanese authorities via the International Committee of the Red Cross, a day after one Lebanese man was released as part of an agreement between the two countries.
Read briefingIndia has rejected a Hague-based arbitration court’s ruling that the Indus Waters Treaty remains in force and that India must continue to observe its obligations. Pakistan welcomed the ruling which comes amid tensions over India’s decision to put the treaty in abeyance after the 2025 Pahalgam attack.
Read briefingSeparately, one person killed and five injured after Ukrainian drone struck a bus in Russian-controlled part of Horlivka.At least 10 people have been injured in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he expects talks with United States envoys in the coming days.Kyiv’s military administration said on Thursday that 10 people, including a child, had been injured in the evening attack, while Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the injured included six medical personnel.The military administration initially said one person had died in the attack, but later said the report had proved untrue.In a message on Telegram, Klitschko said that the ninth floor of a high-rise residence had been damaged, adding that 15 people had been evacuated from the building in a district just outside the city centre.Video published on unofficial Telegram channels showed a large fireball rising skywards. Unofficial channels said the building had been struck by a jet-powered drone.Local media said new explosions later jolted the city. An air raid alert remained in effect more than two hours after it was imposed.Klitschko said six people had been wounded in earlier strikes on the capital, which has been subject to more than a week of sustained attacks.Ukraine’s state oil and gas company Naftogaz announced that Russia also attacked its production sites. In a statement, it said the attack caused significant damage to equipment, though it did not give a location.Meanwhile, one person was killed and five others injured after a Ukrainian drone struck a bus in Horlivka in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Donetsk region, reported the Interfax news agency.The bus was hit in “a targeted drone attack”, Interfax said, citing Ivan Prikhodko, the city’s Russian-installed mayor.Al Jazeera could not independently verify the assertion. Ukraine and Russia both deny targeting civilians.One person was killed and four others injured in a separate drone attack on a passenger bus in Russia’s Belgorod region, local authorities reported.The attacks came as Zelenskyy said he hoped to host US President Donald Trump’s envoys in Kyiv in the coming days to resume efforts to end the Russian invasion.Diplomatic efforts to end Russia’s four-and-a-half-year war on Ukraine have stalled in recent months as the US has shifted its focus towards its war in the Middle East.“We expect to see the envoys of the president of America here in Kyiv. We have confirmation from them,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly address.“They will have meetings in Moscow and in Kyiv. We are counting on a meeting in the coming days,” he added.Trump’s special envoys, Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, have been involved in shuttle diplomacy between Russia and Ukraine.While they have travelled to Moscow multiple times, they have never been to Kyiv.Zelenskyy said that “tentative dates have been set” for the envoys’ first visit to the Ukrainian capital.In July, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with Witkoff and Kushner “to reinvigorate diplomacy and bring peace closer”.Russia’s war on Ukraine has turned into Europe’s worst conflict since World War II, killing thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands of troops since 2022.
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