Web Desk

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

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

Web Desk/AFP

Says key elements of a proposed Iran agreement have been approved by all parties and a signing announcement is expected soon, while Pakistan says it remains engaged in mediation efforts despite renewed hostilities and regional tensions.

Middle East Roundup June 11, 2026: Trump cancels Iran strikes, cites progress in talks involving Pakistan

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"

Radio France Internationale condemns Israel's ban on French reporter

GENEVA: The number of forcibly displaced people dropped for the first time in a decade last year, as more opted to return home despite often unsafe and unstable conditions, the UN said Thursday. At the end of 2025, 117.8 million people worldwide were forcibly displaced from their homes, marking a decline of 5.4 million compared to a year earlier, the UN refugee agency said. The agency said the number of people who had been forced to flee due to war, violence and persecution remained &quot;unacceptably high&quot;, urging action to dramatically reduce long-term displacement over the next decade. In its annual report, UNHCR explained that the declining displacement number was linked to &quot;a sharp increase&quot; in the number of refugees and internally displaced people (IDPs) returning home. In all, 14.7 million displaced people returned to their places of origin in 2025, said the report. They included 4.4 million refugees who crossed back into their home countries, marking the second highest number of refugee returns since records began 60 years ago. &nbsp;Unsafe returns&nbsp; UN refugee chief Barham Salih told reporters in Geneva that &quot;more than 90 percent&quot; of refugee returns last year were concentrated in Afghanistan, Sudan and Syria. But, he stressed, &quot;many of these returns occurred not under conditions of safety and stability, but under pressure&quot;. They had gone back to &quot;countries where insecurity persists, where infrastructure has been damaged, and where basic services and economic opportunities remain scarce&quot;, he warned. &quot;Returns that are not safe... are not a solution,&quot; he insisted. &quot;They risk becoming the beginning of a new displacement cycle.&quot; Among those displaced at the end of 2025, 41.6 million were considered refugees, including nearly 5.4 million people who fled across borders to become refugees in the course of the year, Thursday&#39;s report showed. A full 60 percent of those new refugees fled from just eight countries, including nearly a million coming from war-ravaged Sudan alone, and almost 800,000 fled from Ukraine. The report also pointed to several crises driving mass displacement since the start of this year. They included the Mideast war launched by United States and Israel in February, which it said had forced 3.2 million people from their homes in Iran alone. And in Lebanon, Israeli attacks since March have displaced more than one million people, the UNHCR pointed out. The conflicts in Iran and Lebanon had spurred many refugees hosted there to return home since the start of the year, often under adverse circumstances, including to Syria and Afghanistan. &nbsp;Refugee resettlement needed&nbsp; The UN refugee agency meanwhile voiced concern over a narrowing space for refugee resettlement last year, estimating that the number of refugees needing to resettle in third countries stood at 2.9 million. The number of resettlement spots had reached 188,800 in 2024 -- its highest level in four decades. But last year, the number was more than halved to just 81,800, the report showed, pointing in particular to a sharp decline in the numbers accepted by the United States. &quot;The gap between places and needs is enormous and has been widening,&quot; the agency warned. Salih, a former Iraqi president who was once a refugee himself, also warned that forced displacement was becoming increasingly drawn out, often lasting years and even decades. &quot;Today, 70 percent of refugees are living in protracted situations,&quot; he pointed out. This was unsustainable, he insisted, calling on countries to back a new initiative aimed to lift millions out of long-term displacement and reliance on humanitarian aid. &quot;Humanitarian assistance was designed for emergencies. It was never intended to sustain generations of people indefinitely,&quot; he said. The new initiative, he said, aims to slash in half the number of refugees in long-term displacement over the next decade by developing opportunities for voluntary returns, resettlement and humanitarian visas. He voiced hope that countries would get onboard, realising that &quot;there is a pathway to having a more sustainable situation&quot;.

The UN reported the first decline in global forced displacement in a decade as millions returned home, though many faced unsafe conditions while conflicts in Sudan, Iran and Lebanon continued driving crises.

Number of forcibly displaced people dips to 118M: UN

Says US actions have removed “millions of barrels of oil” from Iranian exports as tensions escalate; Iran may reassess negotiations with Washington after fresh strikes, while both sides exchange attacks and diplomatic efforts remain under pressure.

Middle East Roundup, June 10: Trump says Iran deal negotiated, warns of further US strikes

GENEVA: The UN rights chief said Wednesday he would send a mission to Lebanon to collect evidence on alleged rights abuses since the war began between Hezbollah and Israel. &quot;Accountability cannot be overstated. Prompt and independent investigations into alleged violations of international humanitarian law must be conducted,&quot; UN high commissioner for human rights Volker Turk told journalists. &quot;This is why I have agreed with the government of Lebanon to conduct an impartial and independent assessment mission in the country. &quot;I will soon be deploying a team to collect information and evidence on alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law, and violations of international humanitarian law and related law committed by the parties to the armed conflict in the country since March 2.&quot; Lebanon was drawn into the wider Middle East war on March 2 when Iran-backed Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel to avenge the February 28 killing of Iran&#39;s supreme leader in US-Israeli attacks. The rocket attacks prompted Israeli strikes and a ground invasion. Lebanese authorities say Israel&#39;s attacks have killed more than 3,600 people and displaced more than one million others. On the Israeli side, 29 soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed in&nbsp;Lebanon, according to the army. Neither side has respected a ceasefire first announced in mid-April. Turk said that amid the &quot;unimaginable civilian harm, suffering and displacement&quot; caused by dozens of conflicts, &quot;we have seen the economic and environmental consequences of fighting reverberate across the world&quot;. &quot;The world needs to contain this fallout&mdash;de-escalation, restraint and the protection of civilians must be the priority,&quot; he said.

UN rights chief said Wednesday he would send a mission to Lebanon to collect evidence on alleged rights abuses since the war began between Hezbollah and Israel

UN rights chief sending mission to Lebanon to collect abuses evidence

ISLAMABAD: A growing wave of pro-Palestinian activism is sweeping German universities, with student councils voting to support academic boycotts of Israeli universities, citing alleged ties between Israeli academia and the country&#39;s military establishment. According to a report published on Al Jazeera&#39;s website, nearly 700 students at Leipzig University have&nbsp;demanded that the institution end all cooperation with Israeli academic partners. Student activists argue that Israeli universities are deeply integrated into Israel&#39;s military and security infrastructure and therefore cannot be viewed as politically neutral institutions. Orlando Becker, a 22-year-old member of Students for Palestine Leipzig, told Al Jazeera, &ldquo;All five Israeli partner universities of Leipzig University are an essential component of the Israeli military complex.&rdquo;&nbsp; Students gathered more than 1,300 signatures to convene a general assembly on the issue.&nbsp;University authorities, however, withdrew permission for the meeting to take place in a lecture hall one day before the event. Leipzig is not aloneSimilar resolutions have emerged across Germany. Since March, student councils at several German universities have adopted similar motions calling for academic disengagement from Israeli institutions. At Berlin&#39;s Hertie School, the student council became the first in Germany to pass a resolution supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement by cutting ties with Israeli institutions through student-administered funds. The school and its affiliated foundation quickly distanced themselves from the student resolution, describing it as unacceptable. Student representatives alleged that university leadership attempted to discourage support for the motion by warning of potential consequences for students and the institution. Crackdown on pro-Palestinian activism&nbsp;Pro-Palestinian student activism has faced significant resistance from authorities across Germany. In November 2023, students occupied a lecture hall at the Free University of Berlin in solidarity with Gaza. Months later, demonstrators occupied a building at Humboldt University and renamed it the &quot;Jabalia Institute&quot; after a refugee camp in Gaza. Police were called to clear both occupations. Activists reported dozens of injuries during the operations and alleged that Arab students and other minorities were treated more harshly. While university administrations have largely resisted calls for academic boycotts, observers say the growing number of student resolutions signals increasing pressure from younger generations. As student movements continue to expand across campuses, the dispute is likely to remain a defining issue in Germany&#39;s higher education sector and wider political discourse.

Student councils across Germany back academic boycotts of Israeli universities, citing alleged military ties; pro-Palestinian activism grows despite resistance from university administrations, political pressure, and police crackdowns.

German universities face growing pressure to cut ties with Israeli institutions

JOHANNESBURG: Gunmen stormed an informal settlement near Johannesburg and shot dead 12 people overnight, South African police said Wednesday, in the latest mass shooting in the crime-weary country. The shootings happened before midnight on Tuesday in an impoverished area of metal shacks near where illegal miners were living, police said. Around 10 attackers were driven to the Jumpers settlement and dropped off before storming the area, a police spokeswoman said. &quot;The suspects allegedly entered the informal settlement through both entrances and moved through the area, opening fire on residents and community members at multiple locations before fleeing the scene in the same vehicle,&quot; she said. &quot;Preliminary investigations reveal that 12 people died as a result of the attack,&quot; Colonel Dimakatso Nevhuhulwi said. &quot;Eight adult males and three adult females were declared dead at the scene,&quot; she said. One person died in the hospital. &nbsp;Illegal miningThe attack occurred in an area about six kilometers (less than four miles) east of the Johannesburg city center, near an abandoned gold mine. South Africa is awash with legal and illegal firearms, and shootings are common, often fuelled by gang rivalry and competition between informal businesses. Police said the motive for the attack was not yet known, and no arrests had been made, but there were suspicions it was related to competition over illegal mining in the area. &quot;At this stage, we could not determine what is the motive,&quot; provincial commissioner Lieutenant General Tommy Mthombeni told reporters at the scene. &quot;As you know, this area is adjacent to the legal mining area. We are having those suspicions.&quot; &quot;One can term this incident to be insane, to be heartless and to an extent, it is barbaric,&quot; he said. Illegal mining in South Africa draws people from across southern Africa and has been linked to organized crime, assassinations, extortion and other illegal activities. Clandestine artisanal miners have become an entrenched presence in the shantytowns that ring Johannesburg and its satellite settlements along the gold reef. Driven by poverty and unemployment, the zama zamas, which means &quot;those who try&quot; in the Zulu language, descend deep into still gold-bearing shafts abandoned by mining companies. In a mass shooting linked to rivalry between illegal mining gangs, nine people were killed in December when gunmen opened fire at a bar in the impoverished Bekkersdal township southwest of Johannesburg and in another gold-mining area. In March, soldiers moved into violence hotspots in Johannesburg to support police efforts to tackle rampant crime, described by President Cyril Ramaphosa as one of the biggest threats facing the country.

Graphic content / TOPSHOT - A general view of a body of a victim laying in the road at Jumpers informal settlement in Cleveland, east of Johannesburg, on June 10, 2026.

Gunmen stormed the informal settlement near Johannesburg and killed 12 people in a suspected illegal mining-related mass shooting.

Gunmen shoot dead 12 near Johannesburg: South African police

JERUSALEM: An Israeli rights group published footage Tuesday said to refute claims by the Israeli army regarding an incident in which a soldier allegedly killed a seven-month-old Palestinian infant. Sam Fahd Abu Haikal died and his parents sustained light injuries when Israeli forces opened fire on the family&#39;s car in the city of Hebron last week, in the occupied West bank. Shortly after the incident, which occurred on Friday, the military said its forces had fired after &quot;soldiers perceived a vehicle accelerating toward them.&quot; However, the footage published by the NGO B&#39;Tselem on X shows that the car slowed down and came to a halt as it approached two Israeli soldiers. Shortly after the shooting, the military said it was opening an investigation into the incident, and said an initial inquiry found that the Palestinian couple and their baby were &quot;uninvolved civilians.&quot; The NGO further accused soldiers of failing to provide help to the wounded. &quot;After the shooting, the soldier who opened fire and another soldier who was with him left the scene without checking the vehicle and without providing aid to the critically injured infant and his mother,&quot; B&#39;Tselem wrote on X. The army told AFP it was &quot;checking&quot; the footage published by the NGO. At Sam&#39;s funeral on Saturday, his father Fahd Abu Haikal said he rejected statements suggesting that the shooting was a mistake. &quot;When more than one bullet is fired, when there&#39;s no warning shot and no warning at all, it can&#39;t be a mistake,&quot; he said. Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and violence has sharply escalated in the Palestinian territory since the Gaza war began in 2023. Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 1,080 Palestinians in the West Bank since October 7, 2023, according to an AFP tally based on figures from the Palestinian health ministry. In the same period, at least 44 Israelis, including soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, Israeli official figures show.

Sam Fahd Abu Haikal died and his parents sustained light injuries when Israeli forces opened fire on the family's car in the city of Hebron last week, in the occupied West bank.

Israeli NGO publishes footage challenging army claims on killing of 7-month-old Palestinian baby

US President Donald Trump says that a US military helicopter was shot down by Iran and that the United States 'must' respond; France bans Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich from entering the country; Iran and Israel halt attacks against each other; US says it is striking Iran in response to helicopter shootdown.



​Middle East Roundup, June 9: Trump says US 'must' respond after claiming Iran downed Apache helicopter

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

Americas

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

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​Middle East Roundup, June 9: Trump says US 'must' respond after claiming Iran downed Apache helicopter

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Middle East Roundup, June 9: Trump says US 'must' respond after claiming Iran downed Apache helicopter