warns

Kim Yo Jong warns Japan over expanding military capabilities

Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, on Wednesday warned Japan over its expanding military capabilities. in this March 2019 photo, Kim is seen in Hanoi, Vietnam. File Pool Photo by Jorge Silva/EPA-EFE

SEOUL, Aug. 5 (UPI) — Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, warned Wednesday that Pyongyang could adopt “additional military options” against Japan, accusing Tokyo of becoming a “war state” through its expanding military capabilities.

Kim made the remarks in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

“Japan, a war criminal state, is accelerating its transformation into a war state,” she wrote, claiming that Tokyo was exploiting growing geopolitical tensions to boost its offensive military capacity.

She cited Japan’s recent test-firing of U.S.-made Tomahawk cruise missiles from a destroyer in the Pacific Ocean and its March deployment of long-range surface-to-ship missiles and high-speed gliding projectiles at bases in Kumamoto and Shizuoka prefectures as examples of Tokyo’s changing military posture.

Kim also pointed to Japan’s participation in U.S.-led military exercises in the Philippines in May, where it launched offensive missiles outside its territory for the first time since World War II.

Kim claimed that Japan’s growing arsenal of long-range weapons was transforming its Self-Defense Forces into an offensive military.

“The mass possession of different kinds of long-range strike means with an unexpectedness of preemptive attack and a drastic increase in the radius of their operation … make Japan reorganize its overall armed forces as a formation of preemptive attack and overseas aggression,” she wrote.

Kim also accused the United States of driving Japan’s military expansion, saying Tokyo and Seoul were acting as Washington’s “shock brigade” in the region.

“Japan’s military expansion in the Asia-Pacific region, which is being turned into the world’s biggest hotspot due to the U.S. exclusive and aggressive foreign policy … seriously threatens international peace and stability,” she wrote.

North Korea has repeatedly criticized the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a hawkish conservative who took office in February, over efforts to strengthen Japan’s military and broaden its regional security role.

Tokyo has bolstered its defense posture since adopting a new National Security Strategy in late 2022 that calls for acquiring “counterstrike capabilities,” including long-range missiles intended to strike enemy launch sites if Japan comes under attack.

In a commentary published in KCNA on Tuesday, North Korea condemned a recent U.S.-led multinational naval exercise in Hawaii and criticized military cooperation among Washington and its regional allies, including the Pentagon’s recent move to upgrade U.S. Forces Japan into a joint force headquarters with expanded operational responsibilities.

Kim said North Korea should make Japan “regret” its growing military ambitions.

“One effective way is to make Japan feel that its security has been exposed to greater danger due to its greediness,” she wrote. “We will never remain a passive onlooker to the military evolution of Japan which may pose a grave threat to the security of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”

The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is the official name of North Korea.

“I make it clear upon authorization that the armed forces of the DPRK and the military leadership will set up additional military options which are obviously due to Japan’s transformation,” she added.

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Packwood Warns Diary Covers Others’ Sex Lives : Ethics: He says affairs of at least two lawmakers would be disclosed if Senate enforces subpoena of personal records. Vote on dispute expected soon.

Sen. Bob Packwood (R-Ore.) warned Monday that the sex lives of at least two other lawmakers would be disclosed to the Senate Ethics Committee if the Senate subpoena for nearly five years of his personal diaries is enforced.

Packwood insisted that he is not trying to “blackmail” senators into voting to reject the unanimous demand of the ethics panel, which is conducting an inquiry into charges that Packwood repeatedly made unwanted sexual advances to women on his staff.

Rather, the Oregon lawmaker said, it is the Ethics Committee that wants entries from his diary concerning the longtime affair of another senator and an intimate relationship between a member of the House Democratic leadership and a Senate staff aide.

In his dealings with the committee, Packwood said, he concealed the name of the prominent Democrat by masking it with a piece of paper.

“The Ethics Committee lifted the piece of paper and saw the name and demanded that we produce that page in the diary,” Packwood said. “These were not threats by my lawyer, that if my diary is subpoenaed, that I will tell these things.”

Sources close to Packwood said he fears that some of his diary entries would become public through leaks to the media, even if the committee itself does not disclose them.

The committee said in a report to the Senate last Thursday that Packwood reneged on an agreement to allow a neutral third party to screen the diaries and exclude those parts covered by attorney-client or doctor-patient privileges or related to personal, private family matters.

It voted, 6 to 0, to issue a subpoena for Packwood’s diaries from 1989 to the present, concluding that “the documents in their entirety may be relevant and probative” in connection with its investigation of Packwood’s conduct.

Unless a compromise can be reached, the Senate is expected to vote shortly on whether to back up the Ethics Committee by authorizing it to seek a federal court order for the diaries or to uphold Packwood’s protests that his privacy is being invaded.

Packwood told the Senate that he has kept a personal diary for 25 years that now amounts to 8,200 single-spaced pages. He sets aside time early each morning to dictate his thoughts about events of the previous day, apparently covering both his personal life as well as his official duties.

Entries cover his “hopes and dreams and despair,” the 61-year-old Packwood said, including his discussions with former President Richard Nixon over the Watergate scandal, as well as meetings with Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-Ill.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, on tax reform.

In addition, as Packwood’s attorney James F. Fitzpatrick said in a statement Friday, the diary also has information on the senator’s “private consensual personal relationships” with women who were not on his staff.

Senate records disclosed that Packwood has raised more than $280,000 for a legal defense fund since the Ethics Committee started its inquiry early this year, including a $10,000 donation from Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) and a $1,000 contribution from Sen. John H. Chafee (R-R.I.).

Lobbyists and other major campaign contributors have put up most of the money.

Packwood, accused by more than two dozen women of sexual harassment over the last two decades, also has been charged with using his Senate staff to try to silence his accusers by intimidation.

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Iran rejects Trump frozen funds plan, warns ships of Hormuz transit ban | Shipping

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Iran rejected US President Donald Trump’s claim that ships damaged by Iran in the Gulf would be compensated from frozen Iranian funds. IRGC spokesperson Ebrahim Zolfaghari warned that any vessel taking such money will be banned from transiting the Strait of Hormuz.

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US warns hundreds of Boeing jets may require seat safety inspections | Aviation News

Regulator proposes checks on 453 US-registered jets over seats that may be incorrectly installed.

The US aviation authority has warned that seats on hundreds of Boeing 737 MAX planes could have been installed incorrectly and may require inspection.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Monday that the issue relates to 453 jets registered in the US and proposed requiring airlines to inspect the seats.

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If not installed correctly, the seats could come loose during an emergency landing and “injure passengers and crew members”, the FAA said, adding that they could also “block the aisle and slow an evacuation”.

The proposed order would apply only to US-registered planes because the FAA does not regulate foreign airlines.

Regulators in other countries, however, often follow FAA orders when the issue affects aircraft operating in their markets.

A Boeing spokesperson told the Reuters news agency that the company had issued guidance to operators ‌on the matter in December 2025.

“We support the FAA making that guidance mandatory,” the spokesperson said in an email.

The warning adds to years of scrutiny of Boeing’s safety record.

A cabin panel blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 MAX 9 in January 2024, forcing an emergency landing and prompting the FAA to ground 171 jets.

Investigators later found that the panel was missing four key bolts.

The scrutiny intensified after a spate of other accidents around the world, as well as the death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett in March 2024 while he was providing evidence for a safety lawsuit against the firm.

In June 2025, the US National Transportation Safety Board said Boeing had failed to provide adequate training, guidance and oversight to prevent the Alaska Airlines incident.

There are nearly 2,300 737 MAX jets operating around the world, including 823 in the US, according to aviation advisory and intelligence firm IBA.

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How early you should arrive for your flight this summer after Ryanair boss warns planes WON’T wait for passengers

RYANAIR boss has warned Brits not to be late for their flight as planes will takeoff without them.

The news comes after reports of hour-long delays at border control as a result of the introduction of the EU’s new Entry/Exit system (EES).

Ryanair’s CEO has warned planes will take off without passengers if they are late Credit: EPA
EES has resulted in lengthy queues and some passengers have even missed their flight Credit: Alamy

Talking on The Telegraph’s podcast, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary said: “We will not wait for anybody.

“Our priority is to those passengers who are at the boarding gate when boarding starts. If you’re not at the boarding gate when we finish boarding, the plane is going without you.”

He further added that it is the responsibility of the traveller to leave enough time to get themselves through the airport on time.

It comes after reports of up to six-hour long queues at passport control and in some cases, passengers have missed flights as a result.

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At the beginning of June, 150 Ryanair passengers missed their flight from Toulouse to the UK due to the queues.

In another case, British passengers who were still in the airport queuing through passport control missed their Ryanair flight from Athens to London Luton.

One passenger told the BBC at the time that there had been a “mega queue” at Athens International Airport where hundreds of people were waiting at both security and passport control.

The plane took off without around 50 of its passengers.

In one case Ryanair was forced to leave 150 passengers behind Credit: BrasilNut1
Collage of travel items including a plane, sunscreen, passport, suitcase, and plane tickets, advertising The Sun's travel Instagram account.

However, Michael O’Leary said that planes cannot wait for anyone caught up in the chaos.

He added: “We’re not delaying our flights for people who are stuck in passport control queues.

“They have to show up at the airport earlier [and] be at the boarding gate, otherwise they’re not flying.”

Ryanair had previously called for EES to be delayed until September to save the summer holidays – but it has continued to go ahead.

With EES still in place, airlines are advising Brits to leave arrive three to four hours early for your flight to Europe this summer.



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Trump warns of largest strikes on Iran yet as Tehran lashes out across Gulf | US-Israel war on Iran News

The US president’s threat comes after another day of Iranian attacks on Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan.

United States President Donald Trump says he may launch the largest strikes on Iran yet after Tehran carried out another wave of retaliatory attacks on US allies in the Gulf, including hitting a telecommunications tower in Kuwait.

In remarks to US news website Axios on Thursday, Trump said he was “considering a massive attack” that would be “bigger than ever before”.

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“I am close to making a decision. We are all set for it,” Trump said.

The threat raises the stakes yet again in a weeks-long military confrontation in which the US has attacked Iran for 12 straight nights, including hitting bridges and tunnels, according to Iranian media reports.

Iran’s retaliatory attacks have rippled throughout much of the Gulf, sparking fears of a worsening energy crisis.

The spiralling conflict has all but destroyed an interim peace deal signed by the US and Iran last month.

‘Eye for an eye’

Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Abbas Araghchi warned on Wednesday that Tehran would retaliate “an eye for an eye” against any future attacks, including those on Iran’s infrastructure.

After another night of US attacks on Wednesday, Iran responded with missile and drone attacks on Jordan, Bahrain and Kuwait on Thursday.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the attacks in Jordan and Kuwait targeted and hit US military assets.

The IRGC also acknowledged attacking a telecommunications tower in Kuwait, saying it was in retaliation for US attacks on telecommunications towers in Iran.

In a statement addressing the Kuwaiti people directly, the IRGC insisted that the US, not Iran, had breached the Gulf state’s “territorial integrity and sovereignty”.

Later on Thursday, Kuwait said that its Abdali border crossing with Iraq had also come under attack by “hostile drones”.

“The armed forces’ retaliatory attacks will continue as long as the US attacks on the country’s infrastructure and coastal areas continue,” said the Iranian army’s spokesperson, Mohammad Akraminia.

Houthis attack Saudi tankers

Meanwhile, Yemen’s Houthi rebels further expanded the confrontation on Thursday by firing at two Saudi tankers in the Red Sea, leading to broad international condemnation and a spike in global oil prices.

“The situation is getting out of control. It is teetering on the edge of the unimaginable,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told a meeting of the Security Council. “One crisis feeds another. One escalation triggers the next.”

The Houthis have declared a blockade of Saudi Arabian ports, destabilising a second key global shipping route: the Bab al-Mandeb Strait.

The Strait of Hormuz has been effectively shut since the US and Israel launched the war on Iran in late February.

Reporting from Sanaa, Yemen, Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry cited Houthi sources as saying that the facilities of Saudi Arabia’s national oil company Aramco “could become a future target” of the Houthis if Riyadh does not lift its own blockade on Houthi-controlled ports.

The international oil benchmark Brent crude surged past $100 a barrel on Thursday for the first time in May, in what analysts said could have an even greater impact on the global economy.

“Much of the world’s spare production capacity has already been used, while strategic and commercial oil inventories are lower than when the war began, leaving the market with fewer buffers against a prolonged supply disruption,” said Janiv Shah, vice president of the Rystad Energy consultancy.

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Schiff calls out Trump’s corruption, warns against complacency

There are certain truths that are self-evident to all but the willfully blind or stubbornly obtuse.

Heat is hot.

Rain is wet.

Donald Trump is the most brazenly corrupt president in the history of the United States.

The money-grubbing chief executive has raked in at least $2.2 billion during his first year back in office. He’s funneled millions of taxpayer dollars and foreign payments to his businesses. The grift, er, gift of a tricked-out Air Force One from the Qatari government — which Trump plans to keep in retirement — is only the most high-flying example of his avarice.

There’s so much more.

The notorious tax dodger filed suit against himself, allowing his complicit Department of “Justice” to engineer a flimflam settlement amounting to a get-out-of-jail free card that shields Trump and his sticky-fingered family from Internal Revenue Service oversight. He’s used his pardon power to draw contributions.

It’s so blatant and so consistent with Trump’s dodgy corporate background — a career checkered with six bankruptcies — that it’s easy to shrug off his presidential swindling as just more of the same. That’s been Trump’s political superpower: normalizing the outrageous and anesthetizing many Americans to all but the most extreme affronts. Even those have limited shock value these days.

On Thursday, California’s junior U.S. senator, Democrat Adam Schiff, will take to the floor of the chamber to assay the president’s many conflicts of interest, warn against complacency of the seen-it-all variety and offer his prescription for a cleansing once Trump slinks out of the gold-slathered Oval Office.

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“The scope of the corruption we’ve seen in this administration is beyond anything we have imagined in prior years or prior administrations, “ Schiff said in a preview of his speech. “It’s really novel and breathtaking.”

Schiff is, of course, one of the president’s long-standing nemeses. As a House member, he led Trump’s first impeachment trial. His frequent criticism of the president, on the cable TV circuit and beyond, earned Schiff a slug of juvenile nicknames and other Trumpian put-downs, as well as a federal investigation — which now appears dormant — into supposed mortgage fraud.

Kitchen-table talk

Trump defenders will be quick to dismiss Schiff’s floor speech as just more overripe agitation.

Birds fly. Fish swim. Schiff attacks Trump.

But the purpose of his remarks, Schiff said, goes beyond simply enumerating the abundant examples of presidential profiteering. (It was a struggle, he said, keeping the list to a top 10.) His intent, he said, is “to bring home … the real cost to ordinary people” of Trump’s egregious self-dealing. Explaining why — in a practical, feel-it-in-your-wallet sense — people should care.

“If a president approves a merger not because it’s good for consumers, not because it’s good for the economy, but because participants in the merger paid him millions, what’s the cost to them?” Schiff said, referring to the proposed marriage of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery and the money CBS shelled out for a flimsy lawsuit against “60 Minutes.” The settlement was widely seen as a way to smooth Paramount’s merger with Skydance Media, which is now bidding to swallow Warner Bros.

“The cost is they’re paying more for their streaming services,” Schiff said. “They’re getting laid off if they work in the industry. “

In 2024, Democrats lost the White House at least in part because they spent so much time talking about noble but abstract concepts like defending democracy and the rule of law, rather than highlighting ways they’d work to bring down the price of bacon and eggs.

Times change. Now it’s the cost of beef and gas that’s plundering paychecks.

Looking to November and beyond

Schiff insists it’s not an either/or choice. To prevail in November’s midterm elections, which means winning at least one chamber of Congress, Schiff said Democrats should discuss both affordability and Trump’s venality. He sees the two as being irrevocably entwined.

“The positive message is we are singularly focused on your cost of living,” Schiff said from his office on Capitol Hill. “We want to build more housing and bring down the cost of housing. We want to attack anti-competitive mergers of grocery stores and food companies to bring down the cost of food. We have a whole agenda that is designed to make your life more affordable.

“Why isn’t the administration doing this?” he said. “And the answer is, they’re corrupt. They’re focused on their own economic well-being. They’re doing great for themselves. They could care less about you.”

Schiff plans to introduce a number of proposed remedies. They include legislation to ban corporate executives from serving in the executive branch if they’ve been convicted of corruption or financial crimes, and a requirement that government employees recuse themselves from matters affecting the financial interests of any employer they’d worked for within the previous four years.

Although the measures stand no chance of passing in the current Congress, Schiff said “it’s important to show the American people, ‘Hey, this is what we intend to do if you give us the majority.’”

He acknowledged that the depth of presidential dishonesty, its constancy and deep weave in the fabric of this administration, can have a deadening effect: “When the guy working the teleprompter at the White House, betting on how many times the president will use a certain word in his speech, is a blip in the corruption…”

But Schiff said it’s important not to turn away or shrink from the malodor rising from Trump’s swampy Washington.

“You just have to take the time to break it down for people,” Schiff said. “I think putting things in context, trying to snap people out of the norm-shattering numbness of this administration, is a daily challenge. But it’s one that we have to undertake.”

There’s no certainly no harm in stating the truth. It’s worth trying, over and over.

What else you should be reading

The must-read: Trump, long a critic of ‘forever wars,’ may be stumbling into one with Iran
The deep dive: Unhappy with Kaiser’s medical dispute process, some patients push for state reform
The L.A. Times Special: Chabria: Newsom pushes California to crack down on sex trafficking — fast

Until next time,
mzb

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Seoul warns North Korean landmines may have washed across border

Seoul’s military warned Thursday that North Korean landmines in the DMZ may have washed across the border after heavy rainfall. In this photo, water from the Imjin River is released from Gunnam Dam on Tuesday. Photo by Yonhap

SEOUL, July 23 (UPI) — South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff on Thursday warned that landmines laid by North Korea in the Demilitarized Zone may have been washed into the South after recent heavy rainfall.

“There is a very high possibility that these washed-away landmines could flow into our territory via the rivers shared between the two Koreas, and an explosion of these landmines could cause significant damage,” JCS spokesman Capt. Jang Do-young said during a regular press briefing.

Jang urged the public to be cautious when near inter-Korean rivers and to report any suspected landmine to police or a nearby military unit.

The alert comes days after South Korean authorities issued a flood warning for the Imjin River following heavy downpours and North Korea’s release of water from a dam without advance notice.

Seoul’s Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said Monday that satellite imagery confirmed water had been released from North Korea’s Hwanggang Dam on the upper reaches of the Imjin River.

A Unification Ministry official on Tuesday said joint responses to natural disasters should be treated as humanitarian matters.

“Responsible cooperation between the two sides is necessary,” the official told reporters.

An unannounced discharge from Hwanggang Dam in September 2009 caused flooding that killed six South Koreans. The following month, North Korea agreed to provide advance notice before future releases. Pyongyang sent notifications on a handful of occasions in 2010 and 2013 but has not done so since.

North Korea released water from the dam several times during last year’s monsoon season, prompting the Unification Ministry to publicly urge Pyongyang to provide advance notice. A ministry spokeswoman said the appeal served as a form of “indirect communication” because Pyongyang had cut off inter-Korean communication channels in April 2023.

Thursday’s warning also comes as Pyongyang continues an extended campaign to fortify the border and harden its military posture toward South Korea, including laying large numbers of landmines inside the DMZ.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared the South a “hostile state” and scrapped an inter-Korean military agreement in late 2023.

Beginning in April 2024, Pyongyang ramped up activity along the DMZ by clearing land, laying mines, reinforcing tactical roads and installing anti-tank barriers near the Military Demarcation Line.

South Korean military officials have said North Korea increased the number of troops assigned to the work from roughly 1,000 last year to about 5,000 this year.

Seoul’s Defense Ministry last month described the activity as a violation of the armistice agreement that halted fighting in the 1950-53 Korean War, an assessment later contradicted by the U.S.-led United Nations Command.

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Iran’s judiciary warns against ‘infiltrators’, announces new executions | US-Israel war on Iran News

Tehran, Iran – Iran’s judiciary has announced several executions this week linked to unrest over recent months, as part of a campaign against those accused of trying to “create divisions” during the war with the United States.

The judiciary’s official news outlet on Wednesday announced the execution of Mehdi Khanaki, who was identified as an “active element of a terrorist group” arrested during nationwide protests in January.

State television showed security forces raiding a home in Karaj near Tehran, where several handguns, ammunition and explosives were allegedly found. A “revolutionary court” in the city tried him for “operational action in favour of the Zionist regime, the United States and hostile groups”, among other things.

On Sunday, two more men were executed in connection with a 16-defendant case arising from deadly protests in Isfahan, in central Iran, on January 8. The authorities said the men played a role in the killing of several police officers, but foreign-based activists have countered the state narrative and alleged a lack of due process and the use of torture.

The protests started last December 28 in central Tehran over economic issues but quickly morphed into nationwide expressions of frustration at the establishment, as in previous rounds of demonstrations.

The authorities refer to the unrest, when thousands were killed across the country, mostly on the nights of January 8 and 9 , as a “coup” orchestrated by the US and Israel.

They also reject findings by Amnesty International and other international human rights organisations that security forces carried out “mass unlawful killings on an unprecedented scale” during a total internet and communications shutdown.

Tens of thousands have been arrested in the aftermath of the protests, as well as the US-Israeli war that started on February 28 .

The Coordinating Council of Iranian Teachers’ Trade Associations, a non-governmental body inside Iran, last week condemned what it called “intensified prison sentences and continued pressure on teachers’ guild activists” by the authorities.

Security-related offences follow a law passed after the 12-day war with Israel in June 2025, which aims to more severely punish “espionage” and other actions perceived to be cooperating with “enemies” and undermining national security.

Hundreds of Iranians, including businessmen and celebrities based in Iran and abroad, have also had their entire assets confiscated by the state.

State TV also periodically airs “confessions” from people arrested or executed for those charges.

The latest was broadcast on Monday, when a young man with a blurred-out face could be seen saying he posted Instagram stories that opposed the Islamic Republic during the current war. Tehran’s police force said the unidentified man released “norm-breaking and anti-homeland content” online in an attempt to “damage the psychological security of the society”.

“I made a mistake and I will not repeat it. I am now sure that we must all now stand together to build Iran, nobody else has a right to commit an aggression against our country,” he said.

On July 13 , Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence released a list of “hostile media” that included dozens of media networks, 61 individual “human-media” figures and 310 accounts or online pages. It warned that sending photographs, video or information to a listed outlet, person or account can trigger a prison sentence and permanent exclusion from public employment, unless authorities invoke a more serious charge.

‘Infiltrators’

The message goes along with rhetoric of steadfastness and togetherness that has been repeatedly emphasised by Iranian authorities during the war.

Earlier this week, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was selected as Iran’s new supreme leader in March after his father, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in the opening salvo of the war, called for a “sacred unity” among the people and political factions.

Speaking during a televised meeting on Monday with President Masoud Pezeshkian and senior clerical judges in the judiciary, Chief Justice Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei doubled down on the same message – complete with heavy religious undertones.

“We must not allow devils among humans and jinn to infiltrate the ranks of believers and our people to create division and schism,” he said.

The judiciary chief said these “alarmists, rumour-spreaders, hypocrites and infiltrators” would not all declare themselves as such, instead disguising themselves as insiders who would set people against each other.

This comes as the US increasingly points to alleged rifts among Iranian authorities, and categorises them into a faction that wants to keep fighting, especially over the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, and another group that wishes to reach a negotiated resolution soon in order to stop the country from being destroyed.

Iranian authorities have rejected such classifications.

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US launches fresh strikes on Iran, as Trump warns of retaliation for deaths of soldiers

The US military says it launched another round of strikes against Iran to “further degrade” its capabilities to attack ships in the Strait of Hormuz.

The strikes – the 10th consecutive night of attacks – come after US President Donald Trump vowed to punish Iran for the deaths of US soldiers.

Trump earlier said Iran had been hit “very hard” the previous night “in honour” of three US soldiers killed recently – two in Jordan and one in Iraq.

In response to the latest wave, Iran said it struck two oil tankers in the waterway, as well as US military assets in Bahrain and Kuwait, state news agency IRNA reported. President Masoud Pezeshkian said Iran was now fighting a “full-scale war” with the US.

At the same time, Tehran said diplomatic messages were still being exchanged by both sides through intermediaries, despite a collapse of a ceasefire.

US Central Command (Centcom) said on X that the latest strikes had hit Iranian “military command centres, maritime capabilities, missile and drone launch sites, and air defense systems”.

Commercial vessels have continued to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, Centcom said.

Iran said rescue teams were removing the crews from the two oil tankers it had struck while attempting to transit through the vital waterway, according to the state news agency IRNA.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) said a tanker in the Strait of Hormuz had reported being struck by an unknown projectile, forcing its crew to abandon the vessel and board a lifeboat.

It was not clear whether the tanker reported by UKMTO was among those cited by Iran.

On Tuesday night the Department of Defense confirmed the identities of two of the US soldiers – Pte Isabella Gonzales, 19, from Texas, and Lt Tyler James Feehan, 25, from Hawaii – who were killed in an Iranian strike on the Muwaffaq Salti base in Jordan over the weekend.

Centcom said earlier a third service member also went missing in action after the attack, and unidentified remains were later found in the area.

Elsewhere in the region, Jordan’s military said late on Monday it had shot down three Iranian missiles as sirens sounded across the country warning of incoming fire.

Earlier in the day, Kuwait’s armed forces said they had intercepted Iranian drones.

Bahrain said drones launched by Iran had targeted its air navigation systems – but traffic remained unaffected.

On the US strikes the previous night, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency reported that several cities had been hit including Tabriz, Chabahar, Konarak, Bandar Mahshahr and Bandar Imam Khomeini.

Iranian state media reported that two oil tankers had exploded as the vessels tried to cross the strait.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the tankers were going through what it called an “unsafe and hazardous southern route” of the strait and “exploded and were brought to a halt”. Centcom disputed the claims.

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Simon Calder warns holidaymakers ‘you are going to be ripped off’ ahead of ‘summer rush’

He said choosing the wrong option could automatically add 10 per cent to what you should be paying

A travel expert has warned Brits going away that they are going to be ‘ripped off’ unless they make the right decision when paying for things on holiday. Simon Calder, who is a travel expert at the Telegraph, said it was essential that people going away paid for things in the local currency rather than pounds if they were using their credit card.

He said choosing the wrong option could automatically add 10 per cent to what you should be paying. It is something which catches out many travellers, with people unsure of which option to choose when given the choice between paying in pounds or the local currency.

Mr Calder explained why you should choose pounds, and why it can cost you if you choose the wrong option. He said: “Just at the start of the summer rush, I need to warn people about dynamic currency conversion.

“You’re in a foreign country, you’ve got your credit card, you come to pay, the shop assistant, the waiter says, ‘Okay, here’s the card terminal and look, do you want to pay in Euros or in good old British pounds?’

“And you might be tempted for thinking, ‘Well, I’ll pay in Sterling of course, then I’ll know how much it costs’. The one thing you will know is that you are going to be ripped off to the tune of typically 10 per cent.

“So, on a £20 lunch, you pay an extra £2, which you will never get back. Leave it for the waiter instead. So, just remember, paying by credit card, always pay in local currency.”

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Withdrawing money abroad

The dynamic currency conversion (DCC) that Mr Calder is warning people about is also a topic money-saving expert Martin Lewis has discussed. However, he used a similar example at ATMs, urging people to use the local currency when abroad.

He said that when an ATM or card terminal enquires whether you wish to pay in pounds or euros, it is essentially asking you who should perform the currency conversion.

“If it’s euros, do you want your card company to do the conversion? If it’s pounds, we will do the conversion for you and then charge your card,” Martin said.

According to consumer group Which?, DCC permits foreign retailers and ATM operators to convert a transaction into pounds at the point of sale, yet the exchange rates on offer are frequently far worse than those provided by banks and card issuers.

Mr Lewis even warned that ATMs abroad often try to convince the individual to use pounds due to the unfavourable exchange rate and even added withdrawal fees.

“I want euros, please. Are you sure? We won’t do the conversion. Are you absolutely sure? Yes, I want euros,” he said. “The ATM… they are desperate to persuade you to let them do the conversion because they make a lot of money from it.”

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Iran supreme leader warns of ‘unforgettable lessons’ if US attacks continue | US-Israel war on Iran News

Mojtaba Khamenei says Trump’s signature is ‘worthless’ and that ‘bullying’ is a core element of US foreign policy.

Iran’s supreme leader has warned that the United States will suffer “unforgettable lessons” at the hands of Tehran and its regional allies, accusing the US of repeatedly violating the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries.

A written statement attributed to Mojtaba Khamenei was read out on state television on Saturday, in which the supreme leader said Washington’s breaches of last month’s MoU showed that President Donald Trump’s signature was “utterly worthless and invalid”.

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“The repeated breach of agreements by the Great Satan vis-a-vis the accord has once again proven to all that the signature of the President of America is now utterly worthless and invalid, and that bullying, hegemonism and savagery are inseparable components of the American creed and doctrine,” the statement read.

“Now that the American enemy is seeking to foment war and suffer heavier costs and further humiliation, it should know that the dear nation of Iran and the Resistance Front hold unforgettable lessons for it,” it added.

The US dramatically escalated its attacks on Iran this week by targeting civilian infrastructure, including bridges, railway lines and water desalination plants.

Tehran has responded by successfully striking civilian infrastructure in Kuwait, with authorities there urging everyone to ration electricity.

The US-Israeli war on Iran, which began in February, is seen as existential by the country’s senior leadership.

Tehran has shown no sign of caving to the increasing demands from the Trump administration, as regional countries continue to push for an end to the conflict behind the scenes.

Khamenei said the US has “revealed its true face,” exposing its “deceitfulness, irrationality, unreliability and wickedness”.

He called on Iranians to trust the leadership to protect the country, urging people to remain “vigilant” and “active” as the fighting grinds on.

Reports have surfaced in recent days that the Houthis in Yemen could close the Bab al-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea in support of their crucial ally Iran. That would further destabilise global energy markets, increase inflation and apply additional pressure on Trump to halt attacks.

The war is deeply unpopular in the US and has inflicted economic harm on Americans.

The MoU mediated by Qatar and Pakistan and signed last month aimed to create the conditions to bring the war to a permanent end.

However, Tehran and Washington have since declared the accord “over” after accusing each other of violating it.

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Ryanair warns of huge queues at 16 airports across Europe this summer

Ryanair has released a statement claiming that 16 airports in Europe will create “long queues for UK families” as the school summer holidays loom and airports face their busiest time of year

Ryanair has released a strongly-worded statement claiming that “UK families face hours of extra queues as EU EES chaos continues”, naming 16 airports where “passengers are experiencing significant delays”.

The budget airline called for an emergency extension and flexibility in implementing the Entry/Exit System (EES), warning that without action families heading off on their summer holidays would face long waits. These delays would affect passengers no matter what airline they flew with.

Its statement read: “Ryanair today [July 15] warned millions of UK families travelling to Europe this summer to prepare for lengthy passport queues and airport delays caused by the EU’s failed Entry/Exit System (EES), which continues to create disruption months after its introduction.

“With schools now breaking for summer and passenger volumes reaching peak levels, the failed EES rollout is going to cause unnecessary delays and long queues for UK families.”

It claimed: “Ryanair has identified a number of recurring EES hotspots where passengers are experiencing significant delays due to slow processing times and excessive passport control queues on both arrivals and departures.”

The statement went on to name airports including both beach and city break destinations. This included family-friendly holiday hotspots such as Lanzarote, Tenerife South, Alicante, and Malaga, alongside destinations including Milan and Verona.

Ryanair went on to claim these airports suffered from similar issues, saying: “Months after EES went live, many airports still do not have fully functioning self-service kiosks in place, while border staffing levels and infrastructure remain inadequate to process peak passenger volumes. The result is avoidable delays, longer queues and unnecessary stress for UK passengers travelling during the busiest holiday period of the year.”

The airline gave advice to families heading off on their holidays soon, continuing: “Ryanair is advising UK passengers travelling to and from non-Schengen destinations, or transiting through affected European airports, to allow extra time for their journey and be prepared for extended waits at passport control, where EES checks may require passport scanning, fingerprint capture and facial image verification.”

Neal McMahon, Ryanair’s chief operations officer, said in a statement: “Families heading away for a well-earned summer holiday should be thinking about suitcases, suncream and sangria, not standing in passport queues for hours. The reality is that the EES system isn’t working properly and families are paying the price for a system that does not work months after launch. Passengers should not be the testing ground for unfished border infrastructure.

“We support calls from EU Member States to urgently extend the EES flexibilities. This will give airports and border authorities the time to improve the infrastructure, fix the broken devices and hire more staff so that families can travel through Europe without disruption.”

Full list of airports Ryanair named for ‘significant delays’

  1. Lisbon
  2. Tenerife South
  3. Madrid
  4. Lanzarote
  5. Alicante
  6. Malaga
  7. Milan Bergamo
  8. Milan Malpensa
  9. Verona
  10. Paris Beauvais
  11. Berlin
  12. Cologne
  13. Frankfurt Hahn
  14. Krakow
  15. Budapest

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

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New South Korean court official warns of outside pressure

Roh Kyung-pil, new head of the National Court Administration, speaks during a ceremony at the Supreme Court in Seoul, South Korea, 14 July 2026, to mark his inauguration to the position. Photo by YONHAP / EPA

July 14 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s new court administration chief warned Tuesday that growing outside pressure is making it more difficult for judges and other court employees to perform their duties independently.

Supreme Court Justice Roh Kyung-pil, 62, made the remarks during his inauguration as minister of the National Court Administration at the Supreme Court in Seoul.

“External pressure and burdens that make it difficult for judges to conduct independent trials and for court members to perform their duties in a stable manner are increasing,” Roh said.

He said the National Court Administration would serve as a protective barrier so judges and other employees could carry out their responsibilities according to the law and their professional judgment.

“The National Court Administration will provide firm support so that all members of the judiciary can confidently perform their duties in accordance with laws and principles,” Roh said.

He also pledged to strengthen personnel and material resources for judges and court employees working in difficult positions.

“The more demanding the position, the more we must reduce the burden, even slightly, so they can concentrate on their work,” he said. “We will expand the necessary personnel and physical foundations and develop effective support measures.”

Roh’s appointment filled a position that had remained vacant for about four months.

Former court administration chief Park Young-jae resigned in February after the ruling bloc pushed three controversial judiciary bills through the National Assembly.

The measures included the creation of a criminal offense for intentionally distorting the law, a system allowing constitutional challenges to court judgments and an expansion of the number of Supreme Court justices.

Park stepped down in protest against the legislation.

Roh was born in Haenam County in South Jeolla Province. He graduated from Gwangju High School and Seoul National University’s College of Law.

He was appointed as a judge in 1997 and later served as a Supreme Court research judge, a Seoul High Court judge and a presiding judge at the Gwangju and Suwon high courts.

Roh was appointed to the Supreme Court in August 2024.

The head of the National Court Administration oversees judicial administration under the direction of the chief justice and supervises court administrative operations and personnel.

The position does not involve directing judges’ decisions in individual trials but carries significant responsibility for the judiciary’s budget, staffing and administrative policies.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260714010005202

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SPY: Boyce Begs Others to Avoid His Fate : Boyce Warns Others to Avoid Life of Spying

Christopher J. Boyce, whose sale of CIA satellite secrets to Soviet agents was one of the nation’s gravest espionage crimes of the 1970s, pleaded before a Senate panel Thursday for improvements in U.S. security procedures and for other young persons to avoid his fate.

In an emotional, hourlong statement, the 31-year-old Boyce said his 21 months of spying at TRW Inc. offered no “James Bond” thrills and brought him “only depression and a hopeless enslavement to an inhuman, uncaring foreign bureaucracy.”

“As we sit here, a half-dozen, perhaps a dozen, perhaps more Americans are operatives of the KGB,” the former Californian told the Senate Governmental Affairs permanent investigations subcommittee, which is examining how federal security clearances are granted.

‘None Are Happy’

“Perhaps some of them have been in place for years. I tell you that none of them are happy men or women,” he said during testimony described by Sen. William S. Cohen (R-Me.) as “one of the most powerful and poignant statements we have ever heard.”

Boyce, who is serving a 68-year prison sentence for espionage and for robbing banks after escaping from the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institution in 1980, said that “for whatever reason a person begins his involvement . . . the original intent and purpose becomes lost in the ignominy of the ongoing nightmare.”

Although Boyce took the witness stand in his defense during his 1977 spy trial, his Senate testimony Thursday–in which he paused to fight back tears four times–provided his fullest statement to date on his actions and reflections as a Soviet collaborator.

He told senators that he had received a top-secret clearance from the government in 1975 after only a cursory investigation in which he was never interviewed about his anti-Establishment attitudes, which were well known among his friends.

Boyce said the government interviewed only his parents and some of their acquaintances, “who lived in another world” and knew nothing of his opinions.

Smoked Marijuana at 16

“Had the investigators asked any of my friends what I thought of the U.S. government, and in particular the CIA, I would never have gotten the job,” Boyce said. “Had they asked, they would have learned that I had first begun smoking ‘pot’ at 16 and that I had experimented with a variety of other drugs.”

He said he was hired only because his father, a former FBI agent, knew a top security official at the company.

At the Redondo Beach-based TRW, where Boyce worked as a clerk assigned to a highly sensitive satellite project, plant security was “a joke–almost laughable,” making it easy to photograph thousands of documents to pass on to Soviet agents, he said.

Boyce–who testified before the subcommittee while guarded by a dozen federal marshals–described the informal atmosphere and lax security at TRW and said his co-workers never suspected he was cooperating with the Soviets.

Parties in ‘Black Vault’

“We regularly partied and boozed it up during working hours within the ‘black vault,’ ” the super-secret room housing the CIA satellite project, he said. “Bacardi rum was usually stored behind the crypto machines.”

Boyce said a code-destruction machine similar to a blender “was used for making banana daiquiris and Mai Tais. On occasion, the project security manager would join us for a drink on the house.”

Boyce, whose case was recounted in the best-selling book “The Falcon and the Snowman” and in a subsequent film, said he understood that TRW has tightened security in recent years. Witnesses from the company confirmed this in later testimony.

Monkey Badge

So lax was security at TRW, Boyce said, that “my immediate supervisor once made a security badge with a monkey’s face on it and, to everyone’s amusement, used it to come in and out of the building.”

With tears in his eyes, Boyce said he no longer is “a rebellious 21” and agreed to testify “in the hope that I am performing a constructive act.”

He concluded: “I only wish that before more Americans take that irreversible step, they could know what I now know, that they are bringing down upon themselves heartache more heavy than a mountain.”

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Brussels warns dialogue with China ‘will not suffice’

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Deputy Director-General for Trade at the European Commission Denis Redonnet told MEPs on Tuesday that the EU will step up measures against Chinese imports before the October deadline it set to protect the bloc’s market from Chinese overcapacity.


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The warning comes as Brussels started negotiations with Beijing last month to reduce its record-high €1 billion-a-day trade deficit with China, setting an October deadline for the two sides to make significant progress.

However, tensions remain high between the two trading partners, as Beijing has repeatedly threatened retaliation if the EU adopts measures closing its market to Chinese exports.

“Dialogue alone will not suffice,” Redonnet told EU lawmakers, adding that the EU needs to decide how “to protect and preserve the European industrial base.”

“We need to look at what the Chinese do. It is more than likely that we’ll have unilateral protection measures adopted atthe European Union level. So we’ll be taking various measures in parallel.”

The EU is fighting low-cost Chinese imports flooding its market and threatening its manufacturing industry in key sectors such as steel, chemicals, machine tools and electronics.

“What can we do ahead of that October deadline? We’ll look at a number of sectors, we’ll try to start rebalancing and rein in the export levels,” Redonnet said.

Quotas and tariffs to protect EU industries

To defend its steel industry, the EU doubled tariffs on certain steel imports on 1 July and reduced quotas for the sector. Similar safeguard measures could be used in other industries in the coming weeks, the senior EU official said.

He added, however, that safeguards require the backing of a majority of member states and that not all EU countries share the same interests. Some have factories directly threatened by Chinese competition, while others have industries that rely on cheap Chinese products.

“If we had to defend European manufacturing in two to three member states, we would need the backing of a majority of all member states. And those other member states may be focused on users’ interests rather than producers’ interests,” he said.

In parallel, to rebalance the situation among EU member states, the Commission is working on a solidarity mechanism to compensate those most affected by a surge in Chinese imports.

The EU executive also plans to defend the EU market product by product as China heavily subsidises its exports to the EU prompting the Commission to resort to anti-dumping and anti-subsidy duties.

Last Thursday, it launched an anti-dumping probe into Chinese Peking duck producers.

Reviewing and adjusting trade defence tools is part of the mandate EU leaders gave the Commission in mid-June, asking the EU executive to engage with China while keeping all options on the table to defend the EU market.

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Foreign Office warns all UK travellers over ‘hangover-like symptoms’

You may need to seek urgent medical attention while abroad

The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has issued a warning to Brits heading abroad. As our government’s foreign affairs department, the FCDO is responsible for many tasks – one of which is distribute travel advice in a bid to help trips run smoothly and to keep people safe.

And in a new post on X, formerly Twitter, FCDO has warned of a potentially life-threatening issue that can present symptoms similar to a “bad hangover”. The alert reads: “Methanol poisoning can be hard to spot. Early symptoms can feel like a bad hangover.

“Learn the warning signs and know how to reduce the risk.” Further information found within a linked government campaign explains: “Alcohol contaminated with methanol and targeted spiking incidents can lead to serious illness and death.”

Methanol is an industrial alcohol used in products like antifreeze, fuel and paint thinners. FCDO guidance continues: “In some parts of the world methanol products are sometimes illegally mixed with ‘real’ alcohol such as spirit-based drinks and cocktails.

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“Medical experts believe that as little as 30ml (roughly equivalent to a shot) of methanol can be fatal for an adult, while 10ml can cause blindness.” Early symptoms include vomiting, a loss of balance, drowsiness, and poor judgement.

Twelve to 48 hours after drinking there may be vertigo, hyperventilation, abdominal pain, breathlessness, coma, convulsions, and blurred vision and/or blindness. If you or someone you are travelling with have these symptoms you should seek urgent medical attention.

FCDO advice adds: “Vision issues are a distinctive red flag, particularly blurry vision, trouble looking at bright lights, and in some cases complete blindness. ‘Snowfield vision’ (seeing snowy static like an old TV) or tunnel vision can also occur.”

Seeking urgent medical attention could save your life.

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Undetected Ebola Cases Fuel Congo Outbreak, WHO Warns

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo may be significantly larger than official figures indicate, with most new infections occurring outside known chains of transmission, raising concerns that health authorities are struggling to keep pace with the spread of the virus.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 80% of newly confirmed Ebola patients in the outbreak’s epicentre are not identified through existing contact-tracing networks, suggesting widespread undetected community transmission.

The outbreak, declared in mid-May, has officially infected 1,792 people and killed 625, according to Congolese government figures released on Thursday. However, WHO modelling indicates the true number of infections could be two to four times higher.

WHO Emergencies Director Chikwe Ihekweazu told Reuters that in Bunia, the centre of the outbreak in Ituri province, four out of every five newly confirmed cases are emerging outside the lists of people already being monitored after exposure to infected patients.

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Public health experts view contact tracing as one of the most effective tools for controlling Ebola. When large numbers of patients are not linked to known cases, it suggests the virus is circulating undetected in the community, making containment much more difficult.

In contrast, neighbouring North Kivu province has shown encouraging progress, with nearly all new infections occurring among previously identified contacts.

Transmission remains concentrated in eastern Congo

Around 90% of all confirmed cases remain concentrated in Ituri province, particularly in the health zones of Bunia, Rwampara, Mongbwalu and Nyakunde, where transmission remains intense.

The outbreak has nevertheless expanded beyond its original epicentre, reaching North Kivu, South Kivu and more recently Tshopo province.

In Bunia—a city of roughly one million people about half of all individuals tested for Ebola receive positive results, reflecting sustained community transmission.

Milder symptoms may be helping the virus spread

Health officials believe the Bundibugyo strain responsible for the outbreak may produce milder symptoms than other Ebola variants.

While this appears to improve survival prospects for patients who eventually reach treatment centres, it may also encourage infected individuals to remain at home longer or seek medical attention later, unknowingly spreading the virus to family members and the wider community.

According to WHO, prolonged delays before isolation increase opportunities for transmission.

Community deaths remain another major concern. An analysis of the first 400 Ebola fatalities found that roughly 70% occurred outside designated treatment centres, highlighting continued challenges in identifying patients early enough to provide care and prevent further spread.

Health authorities expand surveillance

To improve detection, Congolese authorities have begun training approximately 21,000 community health workers to conduct door-to-door visits, identify suspected infections and encourage symptomatic individuals to seek medical treatment.

Officials hope stronger community surveillance will help uncover hidden chains of transmission and improve contact tracing, which remains the cornerstone of Ebola control efforts.

Hidden transmission is the outbreak’s biggest threat

The most alarming aspect of Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak is not simply the number of confirmed cases but the large proportion of infections occurring outside established surveillance networks. When 80% of new patients are unknown to contact tracers, it indicates the virus is spreading faster than health authorities can detect it.

Although the Bundibugyo strain may cause comparatively milder illness, that characteristic presents a paradox: fewer severely ill patients can reduce public perception of risk, delaying diagnosis and allowing infected individuals to remain in the community longer. Combined with high rates of deaths occurring outside treatment facilities, these trends point to persistent gaps in surveillance rather than failures of medical treatment.

The rapid expansion of community health worker programmes reflects recognition that traditional outbreak response measures alone may not be sufficient. Unless surveillance improves and hidden transmission chains are identified quickly, the outbreak is likely to remain substantially larger than official figures suggest, complicating efforts to bring it under control.

With information from Reuters.

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Jackdaw boss warns of winter fuel shortages if gas field not approved

McCulloch said: “If I were the secretary of state for energy security and net zero, I’d be looking closely at where’s my next source of energy security, and you’re standing on it.

“The wells are drilled, they’re hooked up. We’re just readying the systems. It will be ready for the 1st of October.

“Jackdaw will play a vital part of this winter’s gas supply,” he added, providing energy security, employment and taxation to the UK.

Environmentalists say Jackdaw will only produce 2% of the country’s annual gas demand during the lifetime of the field.

“It would be a huge betrayal of the British public for the UK government to approve new oil and gas fields at a time when ordinary people are suffering so much as a result of these record-breaking heatwaves,” said Tessa Khan, executive director of the campaign group, Uplift.

In response McCulloch said: “So we all watch the same news, and we see that.

“But what we’re saying is that Jackdaw should not take that on its shoulders, or it should take a very small portion of that.

“It’s a very, very small proportion of the total global emissions.”

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Eurostar warns of severe delays across Europe after train track incident

Passengers queue in the Eurostar departure hall inside St Pancras International station in London.

EUROSTAR is warning of delays across Europe due to an incident on a track, with some services already cancelled.

Trains heading to and from Europe are experiencing delays and cancellations “due to emergency services attending an incident near the tracks in Lille Europe”.

Passengers queue in the Eurostar departure hall inside St Pancras International station in London.
Eurostar services are experiencing delays and cancellations across Europe Credit: Getty
Collage of travel items including a plane, sunscreen, passport, suitcase, and plane tickets, advertising The Sun's travel Instagram account.

Cancelled trains include:

  • 3:31pm service from London to Paris
  • 5:56pm service from Brussels to London, via Lille
  • 6:04pm service from London to Amsterdam, stopping at Brussels, Rotterdam and Lille
  • 6:40pm service from Amsterdam to London, stopping at Brussels, Rotterdam and Lille
  • 7:01pm service from London to Paris
  • 8:02pm service from Paris to London

There are also a number of delays to services including the 2:42pm, 3:12pm, 4:12pm, 4:40pm and 5:12pm services from Paris Gare du Nord to London St Pancras.

A service from London St Pancras to Paris at 2:31pm was also delayed.

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Services from Brussels to London have also been impacted including the 2:52pm and 3:52pm services.

The Eurostar website currently states: “We expect our trains between London and Lille/Brussels/Rotterdam/Amsterdam to be subject to severe delays on 07/07/2026 due to emergency services attending an incident near the tracks in Lille Europe.”

The operator is advising that if passengers would prefer to rearrange their plans, then you can change your ticket for free.

It comes as services still face disruptions following from an incident in the Netherlands last week where there was a major fire at Rotterdam Centraal.

At the time, Eurostar commented: “We’re very sorry that, due to a fire near station Rotterdam Centraal, train services across the Netherlands are currently severely disrupted and extremely limited.

“As a result, our trains are subject to significant delays and cancellations, and we’re unfortunately unable to offer alternative travel options.

“This situation will continue until 3rd July 2026. We recommend that you do not attempt to travel to or from the Netherlands until 3rd July. Instead, please cancel your journey or postpone it to a later date.”

Sun Travel has contacted Eurostar for further comment.



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New York resident sues ICE after it warns him over critical email sent to its former head

An upstate New York resident sued U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for sending federal officers to his house with a warning over an email he sent to the agency’s one-time head.

David Streever, who is a U.S. citizen, was on a trip to Finland when two officers showed up to his Rochester home in June and presented his wife with a warning notice informing him that the email he sent months earlier was considered a threat, his attorneys said. Streever sent the email in January to Todd Lyons, then the acting director of ICE, after an immigration officer fatally shot Minneapolis resident Renee Good during an anti-ICE demonstration.

Streever’s email called Lyons “a monstrous human being” who “will never know peace.” In a lawsuit filed Monday in Washington, he said the agency violated his 1st Amendment rights.

Streever is one of at least two residents of upstate New York who was served with a federal warning in June in the wake of criticizing ICE online. The Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is representing Streever, and said it filed the lawsuit because Streever’s right to free expression was violated.

“This is very clearly within the protection of the 1st Amendment,” said Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the foundation. “It was in the context of political speech.”

Representatives for ICE previously declined to comment on the warning to Streever, citing an ongoing investigation, and the agency did not immediately comment Monday. The suit also names Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, whose office also did not immediately comment.

“ICE investigates all credible threats towards its employees and officers, including threats to the ICE Director,” the agency said in a statement last week.

The entirety of the three-paragraph email, which carried the subject line “What’s next,” and referenced a leader in Nazi Germany:

“You are a monstrous human being and will go down in history as America’s Reinhard Heydrich, the butcher.

“The way you are protecting the obvious execution in Minnesota, even as we see the videos, will lead to your downfall. Even Trump will turn on you before the end, and you will be a sad, despised man who eats himself alive with shame at your own pathetic weakness.

“You will never know peace. You will seek to lose yourself, to escape the burden of knowing the truth about yourself. But wherever you go, you will find yourself. You will torment yourself until your last day on Earth.”

Federal agents also attempted to confront Streever at a hotel in New York City when he returned from Finland, but they were turned away by hotel staff, Steinbaugh said.

Federal officials went to Streever’s house the same week that officials visited Paigelynne Gonyea, a poll worker, at a voting location during New York’s primaries to confront her about a social media post.

Gonyea believes the warning stemmed from writing “I think today is a great day for Jonathan to be indicted,” in a post with a picture of Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer who shot and killed Good. She posted it in January, after Ross had already been identified by the news media.

Lauren Bis, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, shared an image of a different social media post from Gonyea in which she said Gonyea shared Ross’ address. Part of that post was redacted.

Bis said in a statement in June that Gonyea “committed a federal crime by posting the address of an ICE law enforcement officer online” and “if you doxx our officers, we will investigate you, and you will be brought to justice.”

A representative for the New York Attorney General’s Office has said the office is aware of the two residents’ contact with federal agents. The representative has said the office has been reviewing the interaction between Gonyea and federal agents that took place at the polls.

Whittle writes for the Associated Press.

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