WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday announced the approval of a $1.5 billion sale of MH-60R helicopters and related equipment to New Zealand. &quot;The proposed sale will improve New Zealand&#39;s capability to meet current and future warfare threats by providing greater security for its critical infrastructure,&quot; the US State Department said in a statement. &quot;New Zealand will use the enhanced capability to strengthen its homeland defense,&quot; it added. The State Department said in a separate statement that it had approved a $69 million sale of MK 54 torpedoes to New Zealand. The State Department has notified Congress about the proposed sales, which still need to be approved by lawmakers.

The hearing was held to examine the State Department's budget request for fiscal year 2027. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Kevin Dietsch / NORTH AMERICA / AFP)

Australasia

The United States Department of State confirms the approval of a $1.5 billion sale of MH-60R helicopters and related equipment to New Zealand.

US approves $1.5B sale of helicopters to New Zealand

SYDNEY: Wildlife officers have busted an illegal cockroach-breeding operation in rural Australia, seizing a skin-crawling haul worth more than $100,000 on the black market for exotic bugs. More than 100,000 contraband cockroaches were found in a raid on a commercial breeder in the town of Bathurst, west of Sydney, Australia&#39;s environment department said on Friday. They found Madagascar &quot;hissing&quot; cockroaches, a bulky insect named for its noisy defense mechanism, and dubia cockroaches, an invasive critter bred as a snack for pet lizards. Madagascar cockroaches Photos showed one of the seized Madagascar cockroaches was almost big enough to completely cover the palm of an adult hand. &quot;We take our job protecting Australia&#39;s unique biodiversity and breaches of national environment law very seriously,&quot; an environment department spokesman said. &quot;We&#39;re seeing illegal breeding and trading of exotic cockroaches and we&#39;re putting pet businesses and pet owners on notice.&quot; The department said the illicit insects had an estimated value of US$140,000 (Aus$200,000). Officials now have the unenviable task of euthanizing the creepy-crawlies, an insect so hardy it spawned an urban legend they could survive a nuclear blast.

Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW) shows some of the 100,000 contraband cockroaches found in a raid on a commercial breeder in the town of Bathurst, west of Sydney. (Photo: AFP)

Officials now have the unenviable task of euthanizing the creepy-crawlies, an insect so hardy it spawned an urban legend they could survive a nuclear blast.

Australia seizes 100,000 cockroaches in bug-breeder bust

SYDNEY: A Sydney man credited with saving dozens of lives during last year&#39;s deadly mass shooting on Bondi Beach has been charged with assaulting his father, local media and police said Thursday. Ahmed al Ahmed shot to fame in December when he wrested a gun from one of the attackers during Australia&#39;s deadliest attack in decades. Local media including national broadcaster ABC said Ahmed, 44, had been charged after allegedly assaulting his father. Asked to confirm the reporting, New South Wales police told AFP: &quot;On Sunday 15 March 2026 police received a report of an alleged assault at a home in Bankstown on Monday 9 March 2026.&quot; They added that a 44-year-old man had then been charged this week with assault and stalking. He will face court on June 29, police said. Australian police as a rule do not identify individuals charged with crimes to the media. Ahmed was widely hailed as a hero for his actions during the shooting, in which 15 people were killed and dozens wounded in what authorities have described as an antisemitic terrorist attack. He met Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and a fundraiser set up for him raised over $1 million. Last month, his two brothers faced court in Sydney over allegations they had attempted to pressure Al Ahmed into handing over some of that money, local media said.

A Sydney man credited with saving dozens of lives during last year's deadly mass shooting on Bondi Beach has been charged with assaulting his father, local media and police said Thursday

Bondi Beach attack hero charged with assaulting father: Media

SYDNEY: A passenger from the hantavirus-stricken MV Hondius cruise ship is in quarantine on tiny Pitcairn Island, a volcanic outcrop in the South Pacific famously settled by mutineers from the HMS Bounty. The woman, a US citizen, journeyed halfway across the globe to reach remote Pitcairn Island after disembarking the cruise ship in Saint Helena, authorities said. &quot;We can confirm that someone who had contact with a hantavirus-exposed individual is currently isolating on Pitcairn Island, showing no signs of illness,&quot; said a Pitcairn government spokesman. &quot;We are working closely with the health authorities and the UK Government to manage the situation. The wellbeing of our community remains the top priority.&quot; It was not clear how long the woman might be stuck on Pitcairn Island or how she will be isolated from the around 50 people who call the British territory home. Pitcairn Islanders contacted by AFP said they had been advised against speaking with journalists and should pass all questions on to government officials. It was no small effort for the jet-setting American to reach Pitcairn Island, which bills itself as a &quot;must see for adventurous travellers seeking truly remote horizons&quot;. She first flew from San Francisco to Tahiti and then onwards to the isle of Mangareva in outer French Polynesia. From Mangareva most tourists reach Pitcairn by hitching a 32-hour ride on one of the cargo ships that shuttle back and forth every few days. The government of French Polynesia said she had done all this without telling authorities of her possible exposure to hantavirus. She will not be allowed to leave the island as long as she &quot;poses a risk to others&quot;, the government said in a statement earlier this week. The UK government -- which counts Pitcairn as an overseas territory -- said the woman was not symptomatic, but it was still taking a &quot;precautionary approach&quot;. There is only one grocery store on Pitcairn Island, which typically opens three times a week. The nearest hospitals are in French Polynesia, some 1,350 miles (2,170 kilometres) to the northwest, or New Zealand, about 5,300 kilometres (3,300 miles) southwest. Three people died after the rare rat-borne hantavirus spread through passengers holidaying on the MV Hondius cruise ship, sparking a global health scare. Health authorities have repeatedly emphasised that the broader risk to public health from the outbreak of the Andes strain of hantavirus &nbsp;the only one known to spread between people is low. Globally, the death toll remains at three. No vaccines or specific treatments exist, but health officials have said the risk is low and have dismissed comparisons to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Pitcairn Islands were colonised in 1790 by the mutinous crew of the Royal Navy ship HMS Bounty, led by the master&#39;s mate Fletcher Christian. Their actions, casting adrift the ship&#39;s captain William Bligh, have been immortalised in books and film. Pitcairn&#39;s people are descended from the mutineers and their Tahitian companions.

Independent CONICET researcher and National University of Cordoba associate professor Raul Gonzalez Ittig holds a preserved specimen of a Graomys chacoensis rodent inside the Population Genetics and Evolution Laboratory of the Institute of Diversity and A

A US woman exposed to hantavirus from the MV Hondius cruise ship is quarantined on remote Pitcairn Island, raising concerns among its tiny isolated community.

Passenger from hantavirus cruise quarantines on remote Pitcairn Island

WELLINGTON: White supremacist killer Brenton Tarrant lost on Thursday an appeal seeking to overturn his conviction and sentence for shooting dead 51 people at two New Zealand mosques in 2019, court documents showed. The 35-year-old admitted to carrying out New Zealand&#39;s deadliest modern day mass shooting before being sentenced to life in prison in August 2020. He appealed to the Court of Appeal in February, saying &quot;torturous and inhumane&quot; detention conditions during his trial made him incapable of making rational decisions when he pleaded guilty. &quot;I did not have the mind frame or mental health required to be making informed decisions at that time,&quot; Tarrant said at the time. The panel of three judges said the court &quot;does not accept Mr Tarrant&#39;s evidence about his mental state.&quot; &quot;There were inconsistencies in Mr Tarrant&#39;s own evidence, and his evidence is at odds with the detailed observations of prison authorities and the assessments of mental health professionals at the time of him entering his pleas.&quot; The judges found Tarrant&#39;s guilty pleas were voluntary and &quot;he was not coerced or pressured in any way to plead guilty&quot;. &quot;The evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that he was not suffering any significant psychological impacts as a result of his prison conditions at the time he pleaded guilty,&quot; the court said. The court said Tarrant&#39;s &quot;proposed conviction appeal is utterly devoid of merit&quot;. &quot;The facts concerning Mr Tarrant&#39;s offending are beyond dispute. He has not identified any arguable defense, or indeed any defense known to the law.&quot; &#39;Huge relief&#39;&nbsp; Tarrant&#39;s penalty of life imprisonment without parole was the stiffest in New Zealand history. Armed with an arsenal of semi-automatic weapons, Tarrant attacked worshippers at two mosques in Christchurch on March 15, 2019. He published an online manifesto before the attacks and then livestreamed the killings for 17 minutes. His victims were all Muslim and included children, women and the elderly. The court&#39;s decision was complicated one week after Tarrant&#39;s February hearing when he sought to abandon his appeal entirely. The judges said the court received a notice of abandonment of appeal signed by Tarrant using a &quot;self-styled moniker&quot; but the document was thrown out because it was not dated or witnessed. Tarrant filed a second notice later that week, again using a pseudonym, which was dated and witnessed. He said he &quot;no longer wishes to have a lawyer&quot; and the appeal should not continue as &quot;it would likely lead to a miscarriage of justice&quot;. Lawyers acting for the survivors and families of victims told national broadcaster RNZ the decision had been a &quot;huge relief&quot;. &quot;The law has now done its job,&quot; they said. &quot;The families, and frankly all of us, will be spared the trauma of reliving the 15th of March all over again in a trial. &quot;It is a huge relief that the difficult and often unsupported journey families are on will not now be added to by the great burden of a new trial. It would have been unimaginably traumatic.&quot;

Brenton Tarrant (C), the man charged in relation to the Christchurch massacre, stands in the dock during his appearance at the Christchurch District Court.

The court rejected Brenton Tarrant’s appeal, upholding his life sentence without parole for the 2019 New Zealand mosque attacks.

New Zealand mosque killer loses bid to overturn convictions 

SYDNEY: A woman will command Australia&#39;s army for the first time since its founding 125 years ago, Defence Minister Richard Marles said Monday as he unveiled the &quot;deeply historic&quot; appointment. Lieutenant general Susan Coyle was named Australia&#39;s Chief of Army following a three-decade career during which she has served in the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and the Middle East. &quot;Her achievement means that she will be the first woman to command a service in Australian history,&quot; Marles told reporters. &quot;And it is a deeply historic moment. As Susan said to me, you cannot be what you cannot see.&quot; Australia&#39;s army is in the throes of a major transformation, equipping itself with long-range firepower, drones and other modern combat tools. Coyle stressed her experience in areas such as cyber-warfare. &quot;This breadth of experience provides a strong foundation for the responsibilities of command and the trust placed in me,&quot; she said.

This handout photo from the Australian Defence Force taken on July 4, 2024, shows Lieutenant general Susan Coyle reacting as she attends an official event in Canberra. Coyle will command Australia's army for the first time since its founding 125 years ago

Lieutenant general Susan Coyle was named Australia's Chief of Army following a three-decade career during which she has served in the Solomon Islands, Afghanistan and the Middle East.

Australia names Susan Coyle first woman to lead army 

SYDNEY:&nbsp;One of Australia&#39;s most-decorated soldiers was charged Tuesday with murdering unarmed prisoners captured in Afghanistan, police said following a sweeping war crimes probe. A landmark military report in 2020 revealed grave allegations against Australian troops sent to fight Taliban forces, accusing elite units of torture, summary executions and &quot;body count&quot; competitions. Police levelled murder charges against former Special Air Service officer Ben Roberts-Smith, a distinguished soldier awarded Australia&#39;s highest military honor for his efforts fighting insurgents. Commissioner Krissy Barrett said the 47-year-old was allegedly complicit in a string of unlawful killings between 2009 and 2012. &quot;It will be alleged the victims were not taking part in hostilities at the time of their alleged murder in Afghanistan,&quot; she said. &quot;It will be alleged the victims were detained, unarmed, and were under the control of ADF members when they were killed,&quot; she added, referring to the Australian Defense Force. Court documents showed Roberts-Smith was charged with five counts of &quot;war crime - murder&quot;. They included one &quot;actual offence&quot;, one &quot;joint commission to an offence&quot;, and three counts of aiding or abetting a murder. Should Roberts-Smith be found guilty, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The towering soldier became a household name across Australia when he was awarded the Victoria Cross in 2011, a medal reserved for only the most courageous wartime exploits. &#39;Unlawful killings&#39;&nbsp; He met Queen Elizabeth II, had his portrait hung at the Australian War Museum, and was even honored as the nation&#39;s &quot;father of the year&quot;. But the war hero&#39;s reputation was called into question in 2018, when a series of news reports linked him to the alleged murder of unarmed Afghan prisoners by Australian troops. The soldier had allegedly kicked an unarmed Afghan civilian off a cliff and ordered subordinates to shoot him, The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald reported. He was also said to have taken part in the machine-gunning of a man with a prosthetic limb which he later used as a drinking vessel with other soldiers. Roberts-Smith has staunchly maintained his innocence throughout, launching legal action against the newspapers who aired the allegations. But his efforts to sue The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald for slander would backfire, with a judge finding in 2023 many of the journalists&#39; claims were &quot;substantially true&quot;. Such civil trials carry a lower burden of proof than the criminal proceedings Roberts-Smith now faces. Australia deployed 39,000 troops to Afghanistan over two decades as part of US- and NATO-led operations against the Taliban and other militant groups. As Australian veterans returned home, their actions have come into sharp legal focus. Under growing pressure, the government appointed a special investigator to probe whether current and former soldiers should face criminal charges. The 2020 military report found special forces personnel &quot;unlawfully killed&quot; 39 Afghan civilians and prisoners. But investigations into the alleged crimes have been complicated by the Taliban authorities&#39; return to power and the lack of willing witnesses, and Roberts-Smith is only the second soldier to be charged.

This handout image taken and released on April 7, 2026 by the Australian Federal Police shows police arresting a 47-year-old former Australian soldier, who was widely named in local media as Victoria Cross recipient Ben Roberts-Smith, in Sydney.

A landmark military report in 2020 revealed grave allegations against Australian troops sent to fight Taliban forces, accusing elite units of torture, summary executions and 'body count' competitions.

Australian soldier charged for alleged war crimes in Afghanistan

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Indian students are among the most affected as international student visa rejections in Australia climbed to a 20-year high, reflecting tighter immigration controls, according to Australian media.&nbsp;Recent data showed refusal rates for student visas reached 32.5% in February, with Indian applicants facing around 40% rejection, Australian Financial Review reported.&nbsp;Even higher rejection rates were recorded for students from Nepal and Bangladesh, indicating a wider impact on South Asian applicants.&nbsp;The surge in refusals comes as Australia moves to curb migration levels amid domestic political pressure linked to housing shortages and population growth.&nbsp;Education sector representatives have raised concerns over policy inconsistency, saying universities are facing uncertainty after earlier signals of increased student intake.&nbsp;Analysts describe student visas as a key policy tool being used to manage migration flows.&nbsp;Australian officials, however, have defended the measures, maintaining that the country remains open to genuine students while strengthening checks to filter out non-serious applicants.&nbsp;Indian students are also facing similar<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/indian-student-visa-rejections-soar-in-canada-us-amid-visa-fraud-surge" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer"> visa constraints in the United States</a> and Canada, where authorities have tightened scrutiny amid concerns over fraudulent applications and misuse of student visa pathways.&nbsp;According to media reports, Canada reduced international student permits for the second consecutive year in early 2025 as part of efforts to curb fraud and control temporary migration.&nbsp;Data showed that 74% of Indian student visa applications were rejected in August 2025, compared to 32% a year earlier, while only 24% of Chinese applications were turned down.&nbsp;The number of Indian applicants to Canada also declined sharply, dropping from 20,900 in August 2023 to 4,515 in August 2025, despite India remaining the top source of foreign students for more than a decade.

Indian students listen to Director of Partnerships and Pathways at KPU International Anita Hamm (L) at a Canadian education fair in Amritsar on September 16, 2015. (AFP/File)

Recent data shows refusal rates for student visas reached 32.5% in February, with Indian applicants facing around 40% rejection.


Indian students among hardest hit as visa curbs tighten in Australia

SYDNEY: Australia will halve a fuel tax to help motorists experiencing soaring petrol prices due to war in the Middle East, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Monday. Albanese announced the step after meeting with the leaders of Australia&#39;s states and territories on Monday, agreeing a plan to tackle fuel shortages as the war in the Middle East continues. Australia charges a sales tax of 52 cents on each litre of petrol sold at the pump, which will be halved for three months. The measure will cost the government $1.75 billion (Aus$2.55 billion), officials said. &quot;We are making fuel cheaper today because we understand that Australians are under serious pressure,&quot; Albanese said. Albanese&#39;s government has sought to reassure motorists that shipments of fuel continue to arrive in Australia, and petrol shortages in rural towns stem from panic buying and distribution bottlenecks. Victoria and Tasmania states have made travel on public transport free, and Albanese urged motorists nationally to do what they can to conserve petrol by driving less. &quot;The less fuel we use in the cities obviously the more we can redirect to regionals areas that are under pressure,&quot; he told reporters in Canberra. In New South Wales, state Premier Chris Minns said there were scores of petrol stations without any fuel, and the focus was on helping rural towns. &quot;If the situation gets worse, we will take extra measures,&quot; he said. Australia&#39;s national parliament on Monday introduced a bill to give powers to the government to underwrite the purchase of shiploads of fuel that will add to supply in Australia. Weekly data released by the government showed Australia has 39 days of petrol, a small increase on the previous week, and 30 days of diesel supply. The government will also reduce costs for trucks by cutting a heavy vehicle road user charge. The Fuel Check monitor showed average petrol prices had leapt from Aus$1.82 in February to Aus$2.48 on Monday in New South Wales, with diesel reaching Aus$3.&nbsp;

A car passes a sign displaying petrol prices at a petrol station in Sydney on March 30, 2026.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announces a temporary halving of Australia’s fuel tax to ease soaring petrol prices and shortages caused by the US-Israel war on Iran.

Australia to halve fuel tax in response to US-Israel war on Iran

GOLD COAST: Five players from Iran&rsquo;s visiting women&rsquo;s football team have claimed asylum in Australia, saying they feared punishment at home after refusing to sing the national anthem during a tournament match. Among those seeking protection is the team&rsquo;s captain, Zahra Ghanbari. The players reportedly slipped away from their hotel on Australia&rsquo;s Gold Coast late at night before approaching authorities for help. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the development on Tuesday, saying the athletes had been moved to a safe location and granted special visas on humanitarian grounds. &ldquo;Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women. They&rsquo;re safe here, and they should feel at home here,&rdquo; Albanese said, adding that the media had shown restraint by delaying reports of the asylum request until the players were secure. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government held several days of confidential discussions with the players before arranging their transfer to a safe house. He said the footballers were granted special visas after leaving the team hotel, and described an emotional moment when they celebrated after receiving confirmation of their protection status. The controversy began last week when members of Iran&rsquo;s women&rsquo;s team stood silent during the national anthem before a match against South Korea, a gesture widely interpreted as a sign of protest against the authorities in Iran. Pictures showed the players huddled around a table as Burke signed paperwork granting them special visas to stay in Australia on humanitarian grounds. The players broke out into chants of &quot;Aussie, Aussie, Aussie&quot;, Burke said, adding that the rest of the team would also be welcome to stay in the country if they wished. It was unclear whether the remaining players in the Iranian squad would fly home or when they might leave Australia. US President Trump was among the first to confirm five players were safely in the care of Australian officials, following a late-night call with Prime Minister Albanese. He had hours earlier urged Australia to do the right thing, saying it would be a &quot;terrible humanitarian mistake&quot; if the players were forced back to Iran. &#39;Wartime traitors&#39; A presenter on Iranian state TV branded the players &quot;wartime traitors&quot; after they stood motionless during the anthem before a match against South Korea last week. Although they sang the anthem, an ode to the glory of the Islamic Republic in later matches, human rights activists warned the damage was done. Politicians, human rights activists and even &quot;Harry Potter&quot; author J.K. Rowling had called for Australia to offer the side protection. Supporters gathered outside the stadium on the Gold Coast during the team&rsquo;s matches over the weekend, beating drums and chanting slogans in support of the players. It remains unclear whether the rest of the Iranian squad will return home or seek to remain in Australia. Authorities said other team members would also be welcome to stay if they wished.

This photo taken on March 8, 2026 shows Iranian players running towards their positions at the start of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 football match between Iran and the Philippines on the Gold Coast. (AFP)

Five members of Iran’s women’s football team sought asylum in Australia after refusing to sing the national anthem and facing backlash at home.

Five Iran women footballers take asylum in Australia 

BUENOS AIRES: Temperatures in the Antarctic Peninsula have reached a record-breaking high of 15.4C for June, and ice is melting at abnormal rates during the current winter, climate scientists told AFP on Thursday. Esperanza Base, an Argentine research station located in the north of the peninsula, recorded the unprecedented figure on June 6. The previous highest temperature on record for that month -- 13.3C -- dates back to 1998. The current heat also significantly exceeds Esperanza&#39;s June average of -6.2C. Such a figure is &quot;very unusual for this time of year,&quot; Jose Luis Stella, a climatologist at Argentina&#39;s National Meteorological Service, told AFP. Argentine bases Marambio and San Martin also recorded unequalled temperatures between June 5 and 6. Marambio recorded 11.8C, surpassing a previous high of 9.2C and its June average of -10.7C. San Martin meanwhile saw 9.4C compared to its previous 7.8C record and June average of -5.6C. &#39;Confirms a trend&#39;The northern Antarctic heatwave is not an isolated event, University of Groningen professor Raul Cordero told AFP. &quot;It confirms a trend,&quot; he said, warning that &quot;these kinds of events will continue to occur with increasing frequency&quot; if global warming is not derailed. Thomas Caton Harrison, a polar climate scientist at the British Antarctic Survey, believes a combination of factors including climate change resulted in the current heat. &quot;There is credible evidence that climate change is playing a role, but the effect is complex in this region,&quot; he said. &quot;Because Antarctica sees such big swings in temperature, we have to collect lots of data over many years to build a picture of the underlying climate.&quot; Both specialists agree that regional temperatures have been rising for years and are already showing visible effects. &quot;A surprising amount of precipitation has been falling as rain rather than snow,&quot; Caton Harrison said. &quot;This has implications for polar ecosystems such as penguin colonies,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;it poses a challenge to my colleagues working on Antarctic bases because a lot of liquid rain has been falling and creating runoff and ice.&quot; Esperanza Base has been recording above-zero temperatures daily for three consecutive weeks. This trend has caused &quot;large areas in the far north of the white continent to remain free of snow,&quot; according to Cordero, who called it &quot;an unusual scene in the Antarctic landscape during winter.&quot;

Climate

Temperatures in the Antarctic Peninsula reach a record-breaking high of 15.4C for June, as ice melts at abnormal rates during the current winter.

Antarctic Peninsula sees record high June temperatures

MEXICO CITY: Mexico ignited their World Cup party with a dominant 2-0 victory over nine-man South Africa on Thursday as the biggest ever edition of the global footballing showpiece kicked off at the iconic Estadio Azteca. Julian Quinones scored the opening goal of the tournament and veteran striker Raul Jimenez added a second as the co-hosts&#39; bid for qualification from Group A got off to smooth start. South Africa meanwhile never looked like spoiling the opening day fiesta, and finished with only nine men after Sphephelo Sithole and Themba Zwane were sent off. The Mexican-colored red, green and white smoke from pre-game fireworks had barely dissipated before Quinones fired the hosts into the lead on nine minutes, drilling a low shot through the legs of South Africa&rsquo;s goalkeeper and captain Ronwen Williams. A deafening roar cascaded down from the stands of the Azteca, the footballing cathedral that became the only stadium to host games at three different World Cups. South Africa coach Hugo Broos had warned his players to be ready for the intimidating atmosphere created by a capacity 80,824 crowd at the imposing concrete arena. But South Africa&rsquo;s players looked to have a bad case of stage fright as Mexico&#39;s fans &nbsp;greeted each completed pass with a raucous chorus of &quot;Ole!&quot; in the opening minutes Sithole seemed particularly affected, being caught in possession trying to play out of the back for Quinones&#39; opening goal. Sithole&#39;s miserable afternoon ended with a 49th minute dismissal after bundling over Mexico&rsquo;s Brian Gutierrez when clean through on goal. Mexico rammed home their advantage in the 67th minute, with a fine counter attack culminating in Roberto Alvarado crossing for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Jimenez to nod home at the far post. It got worse for South Africa in the 84th minute when Zwane was dismissed after a VAR review for flinging an arm into the face of Alvarado. There was still time for late drama when Mexican defender Cesar Montes was shown a red card for a clumsy challenge on Khulisa Mudau on the edge of the penalty area.

Football

Mexico launches World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win over South Africa at a packed Estadio Azteca, while the visitors finish with nine men after two red cards.

Mexico beat South Africa to kick off World Cup

NEW YORK: Taylor Swift on Thursday became the youngest woman ever inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame, another milestone in the 36-year-old US pop star&#39;s record-breaking career. The female record was previously held by Carole Bayer Sager, who was 43 when she joined in 1987. Stevie Wonder remains the youngest person ever admitted, at age 32 in 1983. Artists become eligible for the Hall of Fame 20 years after the release of their first commercial track. For Swift, that was &quot;Tim McGraw,&quot; released in June 2006. Her success since is undeniable: the American artist has recorded 12 albums spanning country, pop, and folk, earning her 14 Grammy Awards in the United States, including four Album of the Year trophies -- a record. &quot;Swift&#39;s ability to shapeshift as a songwriter, to inhabit different sonic landscapes and write as credibly in the world of one genre as she does another is part of her superpower as a songwriter,&quot; reads her bio on the Hall of Fame website. &quot;It also represents the boldness and bravery of her artistry: to explore new frontiers when the most practical next step would be to keep mining the material that has gotten you the success in the first place.&quot; Swift appeared on the red carpet in New York on Thursday wearing a strapless black dress with floral motifs ahead of the naming ceremony. &#39;Great honor&#39;Also inducted on Thursday were Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of KISS, the band behind hits such as &quot;Rock and Roll All Nite&quot; and &quot;Detroit Rock City.&quot; &quot;It doesn&#39;t suck,&quot; Stanley told AFP when asked how it felt to join the prestigious songwriting ranks. &quot;It&#39;s really hard to digest the idea. I certainly don&#39;t consider myself in that rarified air of some of the writers, but if you wanna be in that club, I&#39;m there.&quot; Kenny Loggins, the hitmaker behind movie soundtrack classics like &quot;Footloose&quot; and &quot;Danger Zone&quot; from &quot;Top Gun,&quot; was inducted into the Hall of Fame as well. &quot;It&#39;s a great honor and I appreciate it,&quot; Loggins told AFP. &quot;It&#39;s the culmination of a lifetime writing, and that&#39;s exciting for me.&quot; Canadian singer Alanis Morissette, inescapable in the 1990s, and American record producer Walter Afanasieff were also among the total of nine songwriters joining the Hall of Fame this year. Estimates put Taylor Swift&#39;s worldwide sales at over 250 million album-equivalents. Her most recent tour in 2023 and 2024, titled &quot;The Eras Tour,&quot; brought in a record sum of around two billion dollars. She is also the female artist with the most songs ever to reach the top 10 list compiled by Billboard, the leading US music magazine. Swift is omnipresent in the media. After unveiling a country track for the soundtrack of the film &quot;Toy Story 5,&quot; she was at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday for a game of the NBA Finals.

Entertainment

Taylor Swift becomes the youngest woman ever to be inducted into the prestigious Songwriters Hall of Fame, another milestone in the 36-year-old US pop star's record-breaking career.

Taylor Swift becomes youngest woman in Songwriters Hall of Fame

This live blog follows the latest developments across the Middle East crisis, including regional diplomacy, maritime security, ceasefire negotiations, and economic fallout.<hr>Catch up: Yesterday&rsquo;s top developments<ul style="list-style-type: square;"><li style="font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iran has not made a final decision on the deal: FM spokesperson</li><li style="font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">&lsquo;We&#39;ll probably have a signing in Europe,&rsquo; says Trump on Iran war</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Islamabad backs diplomacy, dialogue</li><li style="font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Three Indian sailors killed aboard ship hit by US off Oman</li><li style="font-size: 14px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Kremlin calls on US, Iran to &#39;return to negotiating table&#39;</li></ul><hr> Egypt urges US, Iran to seize &#39;available opportunity&#39; for deal after Trump cancels strikesPublished: June 12, 2026 | 03:49 GMT | by AFP Egypt urged the United States and Iran to seize what it called an &quot;available opportunity&quot; for a deal to end the war, after President Donald Trump withdrew his threat to carry out further strikes on Tehran. Cairo&#39;s foreign ministry said in a statement late Thursday it hoped &quot;the available opportunity will be seized to reach a deal on the various outstanding issues and to prepare the atmosphere for reaching an end to the war and beginning a new phase of regional stability&quot;. <hr> Trump says &lsquo;we ended the war with Iran today&rsquo;Published: June 12, 2026 | 02:45 GMT | by Web Desk US President Donald Trump, during a tele-rally in support of Senate candidate Barry Moore, claimed that the war is now over, according to local media outlets. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if you heard, but we ended the war with Iran today, and they have agreed never to have a nuclear weapon, something that we, we insisted on,&rdquo; Trump said in the audio clip. <hr style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 0px; overflow: visible; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Japan, S. Korea markets jump after Trump cancels Iran strikesPublished: June 12, 2026 | 01:59 GMT | by AFP Japan&#39;s Nikkei share index soared more than three percent Friday after US President Donald Trump withdrew his threat of further strikes against Iran and said a deal to end the war could be signed in coming days. At around 0015 GMT the Nikkei 225 was up 3.5 percent, while South Korea&#39;s benchmark Kospi index jumped 7.59 percent. <hr style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 0px; overflow: visible; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Iran&rsquo;s FM spokesman condemns US attacks on Indian vesselsPublished: June 11, 2026 | 23:40 GMT | by Web Desk Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry Spokesman&nbsp;Esmaeil Baqaei&nbsp;condemned the US attacks on Indian commercial vessels, which killed at least three Indian nationals. In a post on X, he said that these attacks &quot;stand as clear evidence of America&rsquo;s ongoing policy of armed robbery and State piracy.&quot; <hr style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 0px; overflow: visible; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Iran has not made a final decision on the deal: FM spokespersonPublished: June 11, 2026 | 21:55 GMT | by Web Desk Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran has not made a final decision about a deal, according to Iran&rsquo;s official news agency&nbsp;IRNA. &quot;Once the relevant authorities reach a conclusion on the details of the draft text of an agreement, Iran&rsquo;s government will make a formal announcement,&quot; he said. <hr style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 0px; overflow: visible; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page;"> &lsquo;We&#39;ll probably have a signing in Europe,&rsquo; says Trump on Iran warPublished: June 11, 2026 | 20:05 GMT | by Web Desk US President Donald Trump on Thursday said a deal to end the Middle East war was nearing completion, describing it as a &ldquo;great settlement&rdquo; and indicating that a formal signing could take place in Europe within days once the remaining documents are finalized. &ldquo;We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran,&rdquo; Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.&nbsp; &ldquo;Subject to finalization of documents, which should get done over the next few days, we&#39;ll probably have a signing, maybe in Europe.&rdquo;&nbsp; He added that the agreement would ensure &ldquo;Iran will never have a nuclear weapon,&rdquo; calling it the central objective of months of negotiations and conflict. Trump also said he believed Iran&#39;s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei had approved the proposed arrangement.&nbsp; Asked whether Khamenei had personally given the green light, Trump replied: &ldquo;I understand the answer is yes.&rdquo; He described the agreement as &ldquo;a very strong memorandum of understanding.&rdquo; The US president said he had spoken with leaders from across the region, including Israel, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, as diplomatic efforts intensified ahead of a possible signing ceremony.&nbsp; Trump said the Strait of Hormuz would reopen once the agreement is finalized and argued that the deal had already boosted market confidence, pointing to rising stock markets and falling oil prices. Trump also singled out Pakistan for its role in the diplomatic process, praising both Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir.&nbsp; &ldquo;Pakistan was fantastic,&rdquo; he said. Referring to Munir, Trump added: &ldquo;He&#39;s a great, great general. He&#39;s so great that he&#39;s actually a field marshal.&rdquo;&nbsp; Pakistan has played a central mediation role in recent months, hosting talks and maintaining engagement with Washington, Tehran and regional partners in support of a negotiated settlement. <hr style="box-sizing: border-box; height: 0px; overflow: visible; clear: both; user-select: none; break-after: page;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(65, 65, 65); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">Read our June 11 live blog for earlier developments&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/middle-east-june-11-2026" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">here</a>

Middle East

Americas

Says a 'great settlement' with Iran has been reached and approved by Iran's Supreme Leader; Trump praises Pakistan for a 'fantastic role' in mediation, calling Field Marshal Asim Munir a 'great general'; Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson denies that any final decision on a deal with the US has been made.

Trump says Iran deal nearing signing, praises Pakistan's role

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday rejected any attempt to draw a &ldquo;false equivalence&rdquo; between the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and matters relating to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), while also raising concerns over India&rsquo;s expanding strategic capabilities. Speaking at the weekly media briefing in Islamabad, Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said Pakistan was addressing issues in Azad Jammu and Kashmir within a &ldquo;democratic and constitutional framework&rdquo; and rejected recent remarks by the Indian leadership and its foreign affairs office. &ldquo;Any attempt to conflate the two is misleading and does not withstand objective scrutiny,&rdquo; Andrabi said. Responding to questions regarding Indian statements on AJK, the spokesperson said Pakistan rejected India&#39;s remarks &ldquo;in their entirety.&rdquo; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s untenable for a state like India, which has consistently denied the people of Jammu and Kashmir their right to self-determination, to claim concerns over the rights of Kashmiris,&rdquo; he said. The remarks come amid continued tensions between Pakistan and India over the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region, a longstanding issue between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.&nbsp; Pakistan maintains that the final status of Jammu and Kashmir should be determined in accordance with relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The spokesperson said India&rsquo;s statements appeared aimed at diverting attention from the &ldquo;unresolved status of Jammu and Kashmir&rdquo; and what he described as its &ldquo;abysmal record&rdquo; in IIOJK. &ldquo;We also reject any insinuation of a false equivalence between the situation in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and matters relating to Azad Jammu and Kashmir,&rdquo; Andrabi said. &ldquo;Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir is an illegally annexed, internationally recognized disputed territory whose people have suffered systemic abuses under draconian laws and have been denied their rights, including the right to self-determination, as affirmed by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and as promised by the Indian founding fathers to the Kashmiri people,&rdquo; he added. Concerns over India&#39;s strategic capabilitiesThe Foreign Office also commented on a recent Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) report suggesting India may have altered aspects of its traditional nuclear posture by reportedly deploying nuclear warheads during peacetime alongside developments in missile systems. Andrabi said Pakistan did not wish to endorse SIPRI&rsquo;s methodology but noted that the findings were &ldquo;not surprising.&rdquo; &ldquo;We do not wish to endorse or lend credence to SIPRI&rsquo;s methodology. Its findings, nevertheless, are &lsquo;not surprising,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said, adding that Pakistan had consistently raised concerns regarding India&rsquo;s continued &ldquo;vertical proliferation.&rdquo; The spokesperson said open-source assessments might not fully reflect the actual scale of India&rsquo;s nuclear arsenal. &ldquo;We also believe that open-source estimates, such as SIPRI&rsquo;s, may not fully reflect the actual scale of India&rsquo;s nuclear arsenal, which may actually be higher than the existing estimates,&rdquo; he said. According to Andrabi, Pakistan remained &ldquo;cognizant of developments in India&rsquo;s strategic capabilities,&rdquo; including the canisterization of missile systems, the expansion of sea-based nuclear-capable submarines and the pursuit of longer-range missile systems extending beyond India&rsquo;s immediate region. &ldquo;These developments enhance operational readiness, complicate crisis stability, and carry implications that extend beyond South Asia, with grave consequences for international peace and security,&rdquo; he said. Reiterating Pakistan&rsquo;s position, Andrabi said the country did not seek an arms race. &ldquo;Pakistan does not seek an arms race and matching warheads or arms and ammunition by number. However, we remain mindful of the evolving security environment. We will continue to take measures essential for preserving strategic stability and deterring India&rsquo;s aggression,&rdquo; he said. The spokesperson urged the international community to closely monitor developments related to India&rsquo;s strategic capabilities and their potential impact on regional and global security. He also called on countries supplying advanced technologies to India to consider the wider implications of emerging capabilities being incorporated into India&rsquo;s strategic posture. &ldquo;These developments threaten consequences far beyond South Asia into the wider world,&rdquo; Andrabi said.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan also voices concern over India's evolving strategic capabilities, saying recent assessments reinforce longstanding fears about regional stability and urging the international community to closely monitor developments with wider security implications.

‘False equivalence’: Pakistan rejects Indian remarks on Kashmir

PARIS: A leather bag made from Tyrannosaurus rex cells failed to sell on Thursday, the Paris auction house Drouot said, commenting that bids were well below expected. Auctioneers Giquello had touted the &quot;one-of-a-kind&quot; piece to sell for more than $500,000 but bids barely broke the $150,000 mark, said the Drouot house where the sale took place. Unveiled in the spring in Amsterdam, the bag was created from traces of collagen from the femur of a T‑Rex found in the US state of Montana 25 years ago. &quot;In recent years, we&#39;ve developed techniques -- biotechnologies that allow us to instruct a cell culture to produce, so to speak, genuine T‑Rex skin in the laboratory,&quot; Iacopo Briano, a palaeontology expert associated with the sale, recently told AFP. He noted the material differs from vegan leather, which is mostly made from plastic. &quot;In this case, it&#39;s derived from a cell culture, so it&#39;s 100 percent skin. And at the same time, it comes from an animal that went extinct 67 million years ago!&quot; he said. With no precedent to go on, Alexandre Giquello, whose auction house is organising the sale, explained they had to &quot;come up with a price&quot; that would reflect both the amount of investment required to create the bag and its rarity. Giquello estimated the value at between 300,000 and 500,000 euros ($346,000 to $576,000).

Wildlife

A handbag created from lab-grown material derived from Tyrannosaurus rex collagen fails to sell at auction, attracting bids far below expectations despite its rarity and estimated value of up to $576,000.

First leather bag made from T-Rex cells fails to sell at Paris auction

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Thursday held funeral prayers for military personnel martyred in an army helicopter crash near Muzaffarabad, with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and senior civilian and military leaders attending the ceremony, according to the military&#39;s media wing. The funeral prayer was offered at Chaklala Garrison in Rawalpindi for the martyrs of the Mi-17 helicopter crash, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. PM Sharif, Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defense Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, senior civil and military officials, relatives of the martyrs, and members of the public attended the service. The crash occurred Wednesday near Muzaffarabad, the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, during takeoff.&nbsp; The military said the helicopter went down because of a technical fault, and all personnel on board were martyred. A board of inquiry has been ordered to determine the exact cause of the accident. Earlier in the day, a separate funeral service for two Christian soldiers martyred in the crash was held at Christ Church in Rawalpindi and attended by political and military leaders. The ceremonies highlighted the participation of Pakistan&#39;s diverse communities in national service and remembrance. Addressing the gathering, PM Sharif said the martyrs&#39; &quot;devotion to duty, professionalism, and commitment to safeguarding the motherland will remain a source of inspiration for future generations.&quot; He said the sacrifices made by Pakistan&#39;s armed forces for &quot;peace, security, and national sovereignty can never be forgotten,&quot; and reaffirmed the nation&#39;s support for the families of the martyrs. The ISPR said the martyrs would be laid to rest in their respective hometowns with full military honors. Separately, President Asif Ali Zardari and PM Sharif expressed grief over the crash and offered condolences to the families of the martyrs. &quot;The entire nation pays tribute to the great sacrifice of the martyrs and shares the grief of the families,&quot; Zardari said in a statement. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also expressed condolences, extending sympathies to the families of the personnel martyred in the accident. The military leadership, including Field Marshal Munir and all ranks of the Pakistan Army, expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families.

Security

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, senior military commanders and government officials attended funeral prayers in Rawalpindi for army aviation personnel lost in the Mi-17 accident, while separate services were held for two Christian soldiers before burial with full military honors.

Pakistan honors helicopter crash martyrs at Rawalpindi funeral service

NEW YORK: Elon Musk&#39;s SpaceX on Thursday confirmed it will begin trading on the Nasdaq exchange Friday in the biggest initial public offering in history, a blockbuster market debut that could propel the entrepreneur to trillionaire status. In a filing with the US markets regulator, the company priced more than 555 million shares at $135 each, placing SpaceX among Wall Street&#39;s most elite companies with a valuation of just under $1.8 trillion. The offering will raise a record $75 billion, easily outranking Saudi Aramco&#39;s $29.4 billion debut in 2019, until now the biggest ever. Underwriters hold an option to buy nearly 83 million additional shares, which would push the total above $86 billion if exercised in full. Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America led a syndicate of more than 20 banks on the deal. The space and rocket company, co-founded by Musk in 2002, will trade under the ticker symbol &quot;SPCX,&quot; with a parallel listing on Nasdaq Texas. All eyes will be on how Wall Street absorbs the offering, which could send tremors across global markets. As is traditional for high-profile debuts, executives are expected to ring the opening bell on Friday to mark the start of the session -- in this case at New York&#39;s Times Square, home of the Nasdaq. SpaceX will be the first out of the gates among the tech and AI giants eyeing public markets, with OpenAI and Anthropic expected to follow -- both having recently filed with regulators for their own market debuts. The IPO is Musk&#39;s biggest financial gamble yet, with his xAI company and the X social media platform (formerly Twitter) also included in the offering after the multi-billionaire folded them into the company earlier this year. The offering was more than four times oversubscribed by major banks and financial institutions, according to Bloomberg, with interest from everyday investors reported to also be high. More than 20 percent of the shares will be reserved for these retail investors, a far greater proportion than is typically allocated in IPOs, giving Musk&#39;s legions of fans a chance to buy a slice of the company. Data centers in spaceThe success of the IPO rests squarely on investors&#39; faith in Musk as a visionary entrepreneur. The tech multi-billionaire will serve as chief executive, chief technology officer and board chairman of the newly traded company. The IPO is expected to mint thousands of new millionaires and many billionaires, with former and current employees -- and a long list of investors -- from the company&#39;s near quarter-century history looking to cash in. The financials of the company are giving some on Wall Street pause, as the valuation largely depends on Musk delivering on promises worthy of science fiction, including putting data centers in space as well as people on Mars using as yet unproven technology. While the company is growing fast -- revenue hit $18.7 billion in 2025 -- it is also losing money, producing a net loss of $4.9 billion. In an extraordinary prediction, SpaceX&#39;s filing claims it can pull in over $28.5 trillion in revenue from its various markets. Musk&#39;s fortune on Thursday stood at $782 billion according to the Forbes list of the world&#39;s richest people, nearing three times the wealth of number two, Google co-founder Larry Page. A successful IPO could make him the first trillionaire in history on Friday.

Artificial Intelligence

SpaceX confirms a record $75 billion IPO, valuing the company at nearly $1.8 trillion, as investors back Elon Musk’s space, AI and long-term technology ambitions worldwide for growth.

SpaceX to make historic IPO that could make Musk a trillionaire

LONDON: British Defense Secretary John Healey sensationally quit on Thursday, accusing beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the finance ministry of failing to commit enough money to protect the country. His shock resignation weakens Starmer&#39;s authority further at a precarious moment for the embattled Labour leader, a week before a by-election that could prompt a bid to replace him. In stinging criticism, Healey warned that Starmer&#39;s long-awaited Defense Investment Plan (DIP) for funding over the next decade&mdash;which the premier has yet to publish&mdash;risked making Britain &quot;less safe.&quot; &quot;You have been unable, and the Treasury has been unwilling, to commit the resources that the nation needs to defend the country at this time of rising threats,&quot; Healey wrote in a resignation letter to Starmer posted on his X account. &quot;After explaining to you that I would not be able to accept a DIP settlement that does not give our Forces the resources they need, I am now left with no other option than to submit my resignation.&quot; Healey&#39;s sudden departure comes after months of delays to the defense plan, which Starmer has insisted he will publish before a NATO summit in Turkey beginning on July 7. Starmer&#39;s centre-left government, elected in July 2024 following 14 years of Conservative rule, has pledged to ramp up defense spending, with priority given to NATO commitments. The rise comes amid threats from Russia and as US President Donald Trump repeatedly urges NATO allies to spend more and become less reliant on Washington for security. &#39;Grave moment&#39;Starmer has vowed to raise defense spending to 2.5 percent of gross domestic product from next year, increasing to three percent if Labour wins the next general election, expected in 2029, before reaching 3.5 percent in 2035. British media has for weeks been reporting on behind-the-scenes battles within the government over the DIP settlement. In his resignation letter, Healey said he was first given full sight of DIP on Monday, and it sees defense spending rise to only 2.68 percent of GDP in 2030. A source close to the former defense secretary told AFP the deal offered by the Treasury did not put a date on the three percent commitment. The plan &quot;falls well short of what is required for defense and the country at this dangerous time,&quot; Healey wrote. &quot;Without a DIP that meets the moment in this way, I am being forced to make decisions that would reduce the readiness of our forces and increase the risk to personnel on operations, and could make the country less safe.&quot; Tan Dhesi, chair of parliament&#39;s defence committee, said the government must take Healey&#39;s warning &quot;with the utmost seriousness&quot;. &quot;That a defence secretary of his integrity and commitment has felt compelled to resign in response to the inadequacy of the proposed defence settlement is a grave moment,&quot; the Labour MP said in a statement. Starmer faces political peril in next Thursday&#39;s contest when Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham stands for the Makerfield parliamentary seat. Both men have said they would participate in any Labour leadership race, although none has yet been triggered. Wes Streeting quit as health secretary last month following disastrous local and regional election results for Labour and has also said he would run in any future contest. Healey, 66, has been previously talked about as another potential contender, but there was no immediate suggestion that his resignation is linked to the leadership speculation. It &quot;underlines that Starmer has become a lame duck prime minister who cannot get decisions through his own government,&quot; Patrick Diamond, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, told AFP. The investment plan, originally due to be published in late 2025, has repeatedly been pushed back, to the frustration of industry and others. Healey&#39;s resignation &quot;creates a sequence of political headaches in terms of a replacement, and trying to get the defence investment plan published,&quot; said Ed Arnold, senior associate fellow at the RUSI think-tank. A government source insisted that Starmer had made Britain &quot;safer,&quot; adding the defense spending proposals &quot;will deliver the capability our armed forces need.&quot;

Europe

British Defense Secretary John Healey sensationally quit on Thursday, accusing beleaguered Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the finance ministry of failing to commit enough money to protect the country

UK defense minister quits with stinging rebuke of PM Starmer

JERUSALEM: Radio France Internationale (RFI) condemned Thursday Israel&#39;s entry ban on French reporter Alice Froussard, who freelances for the station and other outlets, as &quot;an obstacle to press freedom&quot;. &quot;Israeli authorities have not provided any justification to RFI for this decision,&quot; the broadcaster said in a statement. &quot;RFI&#39;s management offers its full support to Alice Froussard and protests against this expulsion, which constitutes an obstacle to press freedom and comes at a time when journalists are facing increasing difficulties in covering current events in the region,&quot; it added.

Calls it an as "an obstacle to press freedom"