🇹🇳Tunisian opposition leader jailed for 14 years
Tunisian opposition leader Rached Ghannouchi has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, adding to a string of other jail terms he has received in separate cases.
Ghannouchi, who heads the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, was among 18 politicians and officials sentenced on Tuesday for "conspiring against state security".
Ghannouchi's defence team denied the charges brought against the 84-year-old, saying the proceedings did not meet the standards of a fair trial.
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🇺🇸US will hike tariffs on copper to 50%, Trump says
Copper entering the US from other countries is set to face a new tax of 50%, President Donald Trump has said.
The decision carries through on tariff threats the president made earlier this year, when he ordered an investigation into how imports of the metal were affecting national security.
Similar probes are looming over other sectors, including pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber, as part of a wider embrace of tariffs that Trump claims will protect and boost American industry.
Copper prices in the US jumped to a record high after the announcement of the new import tax, which Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said are expected to come into effect around the end of this month.
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🇷🇺Russian minister sacked by Putin found dead
Russia's Investigative Committee says former Russian transport minister Roman Starovoit has been found dead, apparently with a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He was dismissed earlier on Monday by President Vladimir Putin.
No reason for Starovoit's dismissal was given and deputy transport minister Andrei Nikitin was announced as his replacement shortly after.
The Investigative Committee said it was working to establish the circumstances of the incident.
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⚠️First round of Gaza ceasefire talks ends without breakthrough
The latest round of indirect ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have ended without a breakthrough, a Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told the BBC.
According to the official, the session lasted for nearly three and a half hours and took place in two separate buildings in Doha.
Messages and clarifications were exchanged between the two sides through Qatari and Egyptian mediators, but no progress was achieved.
The official added that talks are expected to resume on Monday, as mediators plan to hold separate meetings with each delegation in an effort to overcome the obstacles and narrow the gaps between the two sides.
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🇮🇱Israel to send negotiators to Gaza talks despite 'unacceptable' Hamas demands, PM says
Israel has decided to send a delegation to Qatar on Sunday for proximity talks with Hamas on the latest proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said he had accepted the invitation despite what he described as the "unacceptable" changes that Hamas wanted to make to a plan presented by mediators from Qatar, the US and Egypt.
On Friday night, Hamas said it had delivered a "positive response" to the proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and that it was ready for negotiations.
However, a Palestinian official said the group had sought amendments including a guarantee that hostilities would not resume if talks on a permanent truce failed.
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🇬🇧🇸🇾David Lammy first UK minister to visit Syria since 2011 uprising
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has become the first UK minister to visit Syria since the uprising that led to the country's civil war began 14 years ago.
Lammy met Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa eight months after the collapse of the Assad regime and as the new Islamic-led government continues to establish control within the country.
Alongside the visit, the UK government announced an additional £94.5m support package to cover humanitarian aid and support longer-term recovery within Syria and countries helping Syrian refugees.
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🇸🇪🇹🇷Notorious Swedish gang leader arrested in Turkey
One of Sweden's most wanted gang leaders, Ismail Abdo, has been arrested in Turkey, the Swedish prosecutor's office said on Friday.
The dual Swedish-Turkish national has an extensive list of drug-related charges against him according to the global police agency, Interpol.
The 35-year-old, nicknamed The Strawberry, is a well-known leader of the Rumba crime gang in Sweden. He is accused of orchestrating illegal operations from abroad and has been the subject of an Interpol red notice since last year.
Swedish police did not identify him, but confirmed the arrest of a man "suspected of having engaged in serious drug trafficking and inciting serious violent crimes" for many years in Sweden.
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🇦🇫🇬🇧Payout offered to Afghans hit by UK data breaches
Afghan nationals whose personal information was mistakenly exposed by the Ministry of Defence in 2021 will be offered up to £4,000 each in compensation, the government has said.
The data breaches affected 277 people, some of whom had worked for the UK government and were in hiding from insurgent Taliban forces at the time.
Defence Minister Luke Pollard said he could not "undo past mistakes" but promised that the payments would be made "as quickly as reasonably practical".
The government expects the total cost to be around £1.6m and comes on top of the £350,000 it had to pay after receiving a fine from the data watchdog.
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🇺🇸🇻🇳Trump announces trade deal with Vietnam
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US will charge 20% tariffs on imports from Vietnam under a new trade deal reached during last-minute negotiations.
Products sent from Vietnam to the US had faced a 46% levy, which was set to go into effect next week as part of Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs announced in April.
Dozens of other economies, including the European Union and Japan, are still scrambling to make their own deals with the US before the planned increases.
Under the agreement, Vietnam will charge no tariffs on US products, Trump said in a social media post.
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🇹🇭Thousands protest in Bangkok calling for Thai PM to resign
Thousands of protesters have gathered in the Thai capital Bangkok, calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra after a phone call she had with the former Cambodian leader Hun Sen was leaked.
In the call, which was about a recent incident on their border, she addressed Hun Sen as "uncle" and said a Thai military commander handling the dispute "just wanted to look cool and said things that are not useful".
The call has sparked public anger and a key partner in her ruling coalition has quit. Paetongtarn apologised, but defended the call as a "negotiation technique".
Before leaving to visit flood-hit northern Thailand, Paetongtarn told reporters it is the people's "right to protest, as long as it's peaceful".
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🇨🇩DR Congo-Rwanda peace deal met with scepticism in rebel-held city
The signing of a peace agreement between the governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda in Washington has elicited mixed reactions, with the former Congolese president, Joseph Kabila, describing it as "nothing more than a trade agreement".
The deal signed on Friday demanded the "disengagement, disarmament and conditional integration" of armed groups fighting in eastern DR Congo - but offered few other details.
While some, including Kabila, have been critical, others have hailed the agreement as a turning point in a devastating conflict that has dragged on for decades.
Rwanda has denied allegations it backs an armed group, known as M23, which has been fighting in the eastern DR Congo.
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🇨🇦Canada passes law fast-tracking 'nation building' projects to counter Trump
Canada's parliament has passed a landmark bill giving Prime Minister Mark Carney's government new powers to fast-track major national projects.
The One Canadian Economy Act was passed by the Senate on Thursday, and allows the cabinet to streamline approvals processes and bypass certain provisions of federal laws for projects that could boost the economy.
Supporters have argued the legislation is a critical step in reducing Canada's dependence on the United States, amid trade tensions sparked by President Donald Trump's tariffs.
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🇺🇸🇮🇷US gained nothing from strikes, Iran's supreme leader says
Iran's supreme leader has insisted the US "gained no achievements" from strikes on its nuclear facilities, in his first public address since a ceasefire with Israel was agreed on Tuesday.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the strikes did not "accomplish anything significant" to disrupt Iran's nuclear programme, and described the retaliation against an American air base in Qatar as dealing a "heavy blow".
It came as Washington doubled down on its assessment that the strikes had severely undermined Iran's nuclear ambitions.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said intelligence gathered by the US and Israel indicated the operation "significantly damaged the nuclear programme, setting it back by years".
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🇺🇸US asks 🇨🇳China to stop Iran from closing Strait of Hormuz
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has called on China to prevent Iran from closing the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important shipping routes.
His comments came after Iran's state-run Press TV reported that parliament had approved a plan to close the Strait but added that the final decision lies with the Supreme National Security Council.
Any disruption to the supply of oil would have profound consequences for the economy. China in particular is the world's largest buyer of Iranian oil and has a close relationship with Tehran.
Oil prices rose following the US attack on Iranian nuclear sites, with the price of the benchmark Brent crude reaching its highest level in five months.
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🇺🇸US Supreme Court allows Trump to resume deportations to third countries
The US Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Donald Trump's administration to resume deportations of migrants to countries other than their homeland.
By 6-3, the justices reversed a lower court order requiring the government to give migrants a "meaningful opportunity" to tell officials what risks they might face being deported to a third country.
The court's three liberal justices dissented from the majority ruling, saying it was "rewarding lawlessness".
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🇱🇸Lesotho declares state of disaster amid US tariff uncertainty
Lesotho has declared a national state of disaster over the country's "high rates of youth unemployment and job losses" as uncertainty over US tariffs hits the landlocked nation.
Lesotho was hit by higher tariffs than any other country - 50% - when they were announced by President Donald Trump in April, although they have since been paused.
Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara said the state of disaster would be in force until 30 June 2027.
Unemployment in Lesotho stands at 30% but for young people the rate is almost 50%, according to official figures.
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🇺🇸🇸🇾US to remove Syria's HTS from list of foreign terror groups
The US is set to take the Syrian Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) off its list of foreign terrorist organisations on Tuesday, according to a state department memo.
The group led a rebel offensive in December that toppled the Assad regime, which had ruled Syria for 54 years. Its leader Ahmed al-Sharaa is now the country's interim president.
HTS, also known as al-Nusra Front, was previously al-Qaeda's affiliate in Syria until al-Sharaa severed ties in 2016.
In recent months, Western countries have sought to reset relations with Syria - which has faced heavy sanctions aimed at the old regime.
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🇿🇦South Africa's police minister accused of links to criminal gangs
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu has been accused of having ties to criminal gangs and of meddling in police investigations into politically motivated murders.
These explosive allegations were made by KwaZulu-Natal police boss Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi at a press briefing on Sunday.
He said Mr Mchunu was receiving financial support from an allegedly corrupt businessman to fund his "political endeavours".
Mr Mchunu has since denied what he says are "wild allegations" while President Cyril Ramaphosa said they were of "grave national security concern" and "receiving the highest priority attention".
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🇺🇬Uganda's 80-year-old president in bid to extend 40-year rule
Uganda's long-serving president, Yoweri Museveni, 80, has been declared the governing party's candidate in next year's presidential election, opening the way for him to seek to extend his nearly 40 years in power.
In his acceptance speech, Museveni said that he had responded to the call and, if elected, would press ahead with his mission to turn Uganda into a "high middle income country".
Museveni's critics say he has ruled with an iron hand since he seized power as a rebel leader in 1986.
He has won every election held since then, and the constitution has been amended twice to remove age and term limits to allow him remain in office.
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🇮🇷Iran supreme leader in first public appearance since Israel war
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has made his first public appearance since the start of Iran's conflict with Israel, according to state media.
State television footage showed him greeting worshippers at a mosque on Saturday during a ceremony a day before the Shia festival of Ashura.
Khamenei's last non-public appearance was in a recorded address after the ceasefire that ended the 12-day war, which began on 13 June and during which top Iranian commanders and nuclear scientists were killed.
Israel launched a surprise attack on nuclear and military sites in Iran, after which Iran retaliated with aerial attacks targeting Israel.
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🇺🇸Elon Musk says he is launching new political party
Elon Musk says he is launching a new political party, weeks after dramatically falling out with US President Donald Trump.
The billionaire announced on his social media platform X that he had set up the America Party, billing it as a challenge to the Republican and Democratic two-party system.
However, it is unclear if the party has been formally registered with US election authorities. Musk, who was born outside of the US and is thus ineligible to run for the US presidency, does not say who will lead it.
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🇰🇪Kenyan leader to build huge church at presidential office
Kenyan President William Ruto says he is building a church at the presidential residence in Nairobi that he will pay for himself - and says he has nothing to apologise for.
"I am not going to ask anyone for an apology for building a church. The devil might be angry and can do what he wants," Ruto said on Friday.
That statement alone has angered Kenyans already frustrated with his style of leadership and what they regard as the entanglement of the state and the church.
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🇳🇦Namibia halts all state funerals amid criticism of the high cost
The Namibian government has announced a temporary ban on state funerals amid criticism over the rising costs of these burials.
Only President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has the power to exempt funerals from the moratorium, the government said.
Minister of Information and Communication Technology Emma Theofelus made the announcement following a Cabinet meeting earlier this week.
She said the moratorium would last until April 2026, while a review committee looks into the "criteria and processes associated with bestowing official funerals".
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🇺🇸🇯🇵Trump threatens Japan with tariff up to 35% as deadline looms
US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a "30% or 35%" tariff on Japan if a deal between the two countries is not reached before a deadline next week.
That would be well above the 24% tariff Japan was hit with as part of Trump's so-called "Liberation Day" on 2 April, when he announced steep import duties on countries around the world.
The tariffs on most US trading partners, including Japan, were later lowered to 10% for 90 days to give them time to negotiate deals with Washington.
That pause is due to expire on 9 July and Trump has said he is not planning to extend the deadline.
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🇭🇺Thousands party at Budapest Pride in clear message to Orban
Budapest advertises itself as a party town. On Saturday, the party spilled out onto the streets, and occupied, in the scorching heat of summer, the Elizabeth Bridge and the river banks and downtown areas on both shores of the Danube.
Between 100,000 and 200,000 mostly young people danced and sang their way from Pest to Buda.
A distance that usually takes only 20 minutes on foot stretched to three hours.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ban, many Budapest Pride participants told me, spurred them to attend an event they usually stay away from.
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🇮🇳India refuses to sign joint statement at defence summit over Kashmir
India has refused to sign a joint statement at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in China as it did not reflect the country's concerns on terrorism, India's foreign ministry has said.
Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Thursday that India's desire for its concerns to be reflected was "not acceptable to one particular country".
While he did not share more details, Indian media reported that Delhi refused to sign the statement after it omitted the Pahalgam attack, a deadly militant attack that killed 26 tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir.
India has blamed its neighbour Pakistan for sheltering a militant group it blames for the attack. Pakistan has rejected the allegations.
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🇦🇲Armenia's PM offers to expose himself in escalating Church row
A bitter standoff between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Armenian Apostolic Church has seen mass arrests, allegations of a coup plot, and an extraordinary offer by Armenia's leader to reveal his private parts to prove he is a Christian.
Earlier this week, Pashinyan told his 1.1 million followers on Facebook he was prepared to expose himself to the head of the Armenian Church and his spokesman, to prove they were wrong that he had been circumcised.
Social media became his preferred means of communication after he came to office after Armenia's so-called Velvet Revolution of 2018.
Pashinyan faces pivotal elections next year and the Church has become a prominent anti-government voice since Armenia was defeated in a 2020 war with neighbouring Azerbaijan.
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🇨🇲Ally of Cameroon president, 92, quits 'broken' government to challenge him
Issa Tchiroma Bakary - a prominent minister and long-time ally of President Paul Biya - has quit Cameroon's government, in the hope of ending 92-year-old Biya's four-decade grip on power in upcoming elections.
Just four months before the central African nation goes to the polls, Tchiroma said the Biya administration he belonged to had "broken" public trust and he was switching to a rival party.
"A country cannot exist in the service of one man," he said on Wednesday.
While he was communications minister, Tchiroma notably came under fire for denying - then backtracking on his denial
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🇹🇭Thailand bans tourists from going to 🇰🇭Cambodia as border dispute persists
Thailand has imposed restrictions on all travellers heading into Cambodia, as the two countries remain locked in a bitter border dispute.
The ban applies to any vehicle or person trying to cross into Cambodia from checkpoints across several Thai provinces, as well as foreign tourists flying into Siem Reap.
The military said in a statement on Monday that the new restrictions "matched the current security situation".
Bilateral relations between the two countries are at their worst in more than a decade, after armed clashes along the border in May left one Cambodian soldier dead.
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🇺🇸Watch: US strikes against Iran spark protests in North America
Demonstrators took to the streets in New York, Los Angeles, Washington DC and Toronto on Sunday to protest US President Donald Trump's decision to launch major strikes against Iran's nuclear program.
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