Thursday, 4 June 2026

A partial ceasefire announced by Donald Trump paused fighting around Beirut while Israeli bombardment continued across South Lebanon, threatening the medieval Beaufort Castle; Trump reportedly called Netanyahu 'crazy' in a call that slowed a planned Beirut assault.

The Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in Congo's Ituri province has killed 60 confirmed people; suspected case counts dropped sharply after testing expanded, but contact tracing remains strained by attacks on burial teams.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Congress that President Trump will personally attend the NATO summit at Ankara's Cumhurbaşkanlığı Külliyesi on 7-8 July 2026.

The French-Iranian graphic novelist and filmmaker died, her family said. Friends attributed her death to grief following the loss of her husband, Mattias Ripa.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared before Congress for the first time since the Iran war started, saying Tehran had agreed to limited nuclear negotiations while warning the fragile ceasefire remained at risk.

President Ruto confirmed he approved a US-backed Ebola facility at Laikipia Air Base. Health Secretary Duale said no public consultation was required, drawing opposition from county officials and the Law Society of Kenya.

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Russian forces struck Ukrainian cities overnight with missiles and drones, killing at least 23 and damaging residential buildings in Kyiv. Zelensky reported Ukrainian strikes on 15 Russian oil refineries and pressed Washington for more air defense missiles.

Veteran journalist Ronson Chan has been imprisoned in Hong Kong, a development Reporters Without Borders describes as a new low for press freedom in the territory.

Trump declared Iran has committed to not developing a nuclear weapon and expressed willingness to meet Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, while sending Tehran a tougher negotiating offer.

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A Democratic-led war powers resolution cleared the House with a handful of Republican votes, requiring Congressional authorization before hostilities with Iran continue. The measure is largely symbolic but marks an unusual legislative check on the president's war-making.

Donald Trump publicly backed Abelardo De La Espriella for Colombia's presidency, labelling rival Iván Cepeda a 'Radical Left Marxist.' President Gustavo Petro rejected the endorsement as foreign interference.

Hungary's President Tamás Sulyok refused PM Péter Magyar's May 31 deadline to quit, prompting Magyar to threaten legal proceedings and a constitutional amendment. The standoff coincides with Hungary's effort to draw down €16 billion in frozen EU funds.

Airstrikes hit four residential buildings across western and northern Gaza City overnight, killing at least nine Palestinians including women and children, in what multiple outlets described as continued ceasefire violations.

Demonstrators have clashed with police in central Tirana for a fourth consecutive day over a proposed $4 billion luxury coastal development linked to Jared Kushner, deepening political tensions and adding a fresh complication to Albania's EU accession process.

Win Gatchalian was elected acting Senate president after Alan Cayetano's repeated refusals to convene the chamber raised constitutional concerns on the final day before Congress adjourned sine die.

Washington brokered a conditional ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, but Iran suspended nuclear talks with mediators, insisting any deal must include a halt to Israeli strikes on Hezbollah.

Iranian officials vowed a 'deluge of missiles and drones' in response to any further US strikes, while Tehran's lead negotiator ruled out any deal without guaranteed rights and oil prices climbed on renewed Gulf tensions.

Colombia's President Gustavo Petro has not transferred funds to the Registraduría for second-round election logistics, and announced plans to front Iván Cepeda's campaign in apparent violation of electoral law before walking the statement back.

Israel and Lebanon agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire contingent on Hezbollah withdrawing south of the Litani River, but Israel's defence minister said military operations would continue regardless, leaving the truce on uncertain ground.

The UN General Assembly elected Austria, Portugal, Trinidad and Tobago, Zimbabwe, and Kyrgyzstan as non-permanent Security Council members. Germany, which had lobbied intensively, finished third and said Russia had worked to undermine its candidacy.

A fire tore through a hotel in New Delhi on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people including 18 foreign nationals, many of them South Asians who had traveled to India for medical treatment.

Israel's Higher Planning Council approved 2,162 settlement units across three West Bank sites; the UK is weighing a ban on British nationals purchasing property in illegal settlements.

Romania's top military officer is being investigated over alleged irregularities in university admissions, a case that deepens scrutiny of institutional integrity at the country's highest levels.

Iran's IRGC launched overnight missile and drone attacks on US military installations in Kuwait and Bahrain, killing one and injuring several, as the nominal ceasefire continued to erode.

In a US-mediated joint statement, Israel and Lebanon agreed to implement a ceasefire contingent on a complete cessation of Hezbollah fire and the creation of pilot security zones in south Lebanon.

President Trump signed a scaled-back AI oversight order enabling developers to voluntarily submit advanced models for government cybersecurity review before release, after industry resistance killed a more binding draft.

Trump revised his offer to Iran with harder conditions and denied Tehran's claim that negotiations had broken down. Monetary compensation has emerged as the chief sticking point in the fragile talks.

Donald Trump named Bill Pulte, head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a loyalist with no intelligence background, as acting Director of National Intelligence, consolidating political control over the US intelligence community.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche dropped the fund — intended to compensate Trump allies claiming political persecution — after Senate Republicans objected ahead of November midterms.

Xinhua world news summary at 1530 GMT, June 2 Xinhua

An Iranian drone attack killed one person — identified as an Indian national — at Kuwait International Airport, wounding several others and forcing a temporary closure. The strike came after U.S. forces targeted Iranian military positions in the Strait of Hormuz.

Preliminary autopsy results show Agostina Vega was sexually assaulted and strangled. Claudio Barrelier faces femicide charges while a previous survivor says she narrowly escaped the same fate a year earlier.

US forces struck Qeshm Island and intercepted Iranian missiles and drones after Tehran declared IRGC control over all Hormuz traffic and halted communications with Washington, raising the risk of a global energy supply disruption.

Trump publicly backed a hypothetical Vance-Rubio presidential run as Rubio completed two days of Congressional testimony covering NATO reform, Greenland, and Middle East negotiations.

Reha Muhtar, one of Turkey's most recognisable TV news anchors, died at a hospital in Bodrum at age 66. Reports say he had repeatedly refused medical care in his final weeks.

Japan's Takaichi government is weighing a reduction of the food consumption tax to 1% from next April; China has meanwhile halved tungsten exports to Japan, deepening resource-security concerns.

Trump announced he will nominate Todd Blanche — his former personal lawyer serving as acting attorney general since April — for the permanent post, though Senate confirmation faces Democratic resistance.

Mojtaba Khamenei, Iran's new Supreme Leader following the death of his father Ali Khamenei, declared that Iran's enemies had been defeated and warned that adversaries were now pursuing hybrid warfare to fracture Iranian society.

Hezbollah's leader rejected the US-brokered ceasefire deal, vowing continued rocket fire, while Israeli strikes killed at least nine people in Lebanon and Israeli and Lebanese military delegations held unprecedented talks at the Pentagon.

Baghdad's communications regulator cancelled its settlement with Korek Telecom and suspended the company's operations, as regional war pushed Kurdistan Region revenues down by 70% and Iraq's oil exports to China fell to 60,000 bpd in May 2026.

President Lula publicly denounced Flávio Bolsonaro after Trump posted a photo with him and announced sweeping new tariffs on Brazil, citing outdated Bolsonaro-era deforestation data and targeting the Pix payment system.

Israeli drone strikes killed several Palestinians in central Gaza and near Deir al-Balah, while settler stone-throwing near Bethlehem and an army raid on al-Quds University marked continued violence across Palestinian territories.

France cautioned Israel against a 'major strategic mistake' in Lebanon while Yemen's Houthis threatened a comprehensive response; the WFP reports a quarter of Lebanon's population now faces acute food insecurity.

The United States concluded a forced labor investigation targeting Brazil's cattle sector and proposed additional tariffs that could cumulatively reach 37.5%. Brazil rejected the findings and threatened to invoke its Lei da Reciprocidade.

Abelardo de la Espriella leads Iván Cepeda 50.3% to 42.6% in Colombia's presidential runoff polls, while a SEMANA interview drawing 1.6 million viewers became a forum for mutual accusations with Interior Minister Armando Benedetti over alleged vote-buying.

Moscow recalled its envoy, extended agricultural import bans, and invoked a 'Ukrainian scenario' warning as Armenia heads to parliamentary elections on June 7, with Pashinyan pursuing EU alignment.

France has refused Israel a national pavilion at the Eurosatory defence exhibition in Paris and barred Israeli companies from presenting assault weapons, drawing sharp criticism from Israeli defence and foreign ministry officials.

US Secretary of State Rubio confirmed Iran's new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei is alive and increasingly active in diplomacy through intermediaries, as Trump said talks are proceeding continuously.

A Rio de Janeiro court convicted Jairinho of killing his stepson Henry Borel and sentenced him to 43 years and 9 months; the boy's mother, Monique Medeiros, also received a sentence for omission.

Protests against a US-funded Ebola quarantine facility at Kenya's Laikipia Air Base left two people dead; a court maintained its block on the project while Kenya's health minister insisted it would proceed.

The Five Eyes alliance issued a rare joint advisory warning that Chinese intelligence officers are posing as recruiters on LinkedIn to target government and military personnel across member states.

Former US national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single felony count of retaining classified information under a Justice Department deal that includes a $2.25 million fine.

Israeli drone and air strikes in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh district killed paramedic Ali Salman Nader and wounded several others, including Syrian and Bangladeshi nationals, while a Hezbollah drone killed an Israeli military physician — exchanges that put US-backed talks to preserve the truce under strain.

Lebanon and Israel held a second round of US-brokered talks in Washington, with Marco Rubio hoping for a joint declaration, while Israeli operations in South Lebanon and the Bekaa continued despite a ceasefire announcement and France pressed European partners to help stabilize the country.

CBS News terminated Scott Pelley on June 2 following a confrontation with new management, whom he accused in a public statement of instructing him to inject falsehoods into reporting.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least eight people across southern and eastern Lebanon, including civilians near Tyre, while one Israeli soldier died in the south — the first Israeli combat death in Lebanon since the ceasefire took hold.

Pakistan won the decisive third ODI against Australia by four wickets at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, with Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shadab Khan starring to clinch the series after Nathan Ellis's career-best figures had leveled it in the second match.

A man who barricaded himself with hostages inside a Bakersfield, California office building while claiming to have a bomb was shot and killed by FBI agents on Wednesday. All hostages were released unharmed.

NASA formally closed the MAVEN mission after losing contact with the spacecraft for six months. The orbiter had studied Mars' atmosphere and its evolution for more than eleven years.

An Istanbul court convicted Fenerbahçe chairman Sadettin Saran and his brother Alan Kenan Saran of promoting illegal gambling through S Sport broadcasts, sentencing each to two years and six months in prison; Saran's lawyer announced an appeal.

Iran launched missile and drone strikes on Kuwait; the US military intercepted them. Kuwait expelled two Iranian diplomats and received solidarity statements from the UAE and US Secretary of State Rubio.

India's foreign ministry rejected Nepal PM Balen Shah's suggestion to involve China and Britain in border talks, while Shah acknowledged mutual encroachments on both sides and both governments signalled a broader diplomatic reset.

Iranian strikes on Kuwait's airport and US counter-strikes near the Strait of Hormuz on June 3 pushed oil prices higher, as diplomacy between Washington and Tehran showed no sign of movement.

Environment Minister Murat Kurum announced TOKİ will sell roughly 20,000 homes across 64 provinces without a lottery, though middle-income price thresholds effectively exclude minimum-wage households.

Ukraine's president called on Putin to meet in a neutral country and agree to a full ceasefire, as NATO's arms-funding scheme remained far short of its $12 billion annual target and Trump welcomed the overture.

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Peru's presidential runoff between Keiko Fujimori and Roberto Sánchez tightened as campaigns closed, with Fujimori leading Lima polls and Sánchez dominating rural areas while undecided voters doubled to 26 percent.

A Ukrainian drone struck a Moscow-to-Simferopol bus in Yenakiieve, killing seven and wounding eleven; separate strikes killed three in Simferopol and hit the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, according to Rosatom.

A federal police operation targeting the production company behind the film 'Dark Horse' has uncovered contracts worth R$5 million from the Federal District and São Paulo governments, implicating figures tied to Flávio Bolsonaro, Mário Frias, and Ciro Nogueira.

Britain's prime minister publicly rebuked Elon Musk for using X posts about the stabbing death of 18-year-old Henry Nowak to inflame racial tensions and interfere in UK politics.

Stories for June 3rd 2026 MercoPress

Anadolu Agency published squad profiles for Groups G and H of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, covering Spain, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand and first-time qualifier Cape Verde ahead of the North American tournament.

Alexander Zverev moved within two wins of a maiden Grand Slam title while Diana Shnaider stunned world number one Aryna Sabalenka to reach the Roland Garros semi-finals.

An Iranian drone and missile barrage struck Terminal 1 of Kuwait International Airport on Wednesday, killing one person and injuring over 63. Tehran denied responsibility; flights were suspended then resumed.

The Trump administration has moved to impose 25% tariffs on Brazil, listing Pix payment system regulations, Supreme Court decisions and ethanol trade practices among its grievances, while also placing Brazil on a forced-labour surcharge list at 12.5%.

Fresh US-Iran airstrikes sent Brent crude near $100 and dragged down Pakistan's stock exchange and Wall Street indices, while gold oscillated as investors weighed compounding inflation risks.

Tropical Storm Jangmi struck southern Japan with fierce winds and torrential rain, forcing nearly 370,000 evacuations, injuring at least 16 people, and leaving 60,000 homes without power.

Beijing imposed one-year travel bans on four New Zealand MPs who visited Taiwan last month, prompting Foreign Minister Winston Peters to raise formal concern with China.

Lebanese and Israeli delegations met for a second day at the US State Department for a fourth round of US-mediated ceasefire talks, with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun warning the session was the final opportunity for a comprehensive truce.

Left-wing presidential candidate Iván Cepeda questioned first-round results, accused Ecuador's President Noboa of interference, and clashed with the football federation after campaign materials appeared on the national team's bus.

A 37-year-old woman was charged with fraud in Santa Catarina after spending a year within a family that believed they had informally adopted a child; police say she had previously used false underage identities across multiple Brazilian states.

Senate Republicans removed a $1 billion earmark for Trump's White House ballroom from the ICE funding bill, while the fate of a separate 'anti-weaponization' fund remained contested ahead of a vote-a-rama.

Mette Frederiksen has formed a four-party centre-left coalition for a third consecutive term, presenting Denmark's first cabinet in history with more women than men.

A Serbian UN peacekeeper died from wounds after mortar shells struck his position near Marjayoun in southeastern Lebanon, bringing the total peacekeeper deaths to seven since March. UNIFIL has launched an investigation.

Following US strikes on Qeshm Island, Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched retaliatory attacks on American military targets in the Gulf; oil prices rose for a third consecutive day and stocks fell as the exchange clouded ongoing US-Iran nuclear negotiations.

Ukrainian drones hit the St. Petersburg oil terminal early Wednesday, sending black smoke over Putin's hometown as 20,000 guests arrived for Russia's flagship economic forum. Zelensky called the strike a fair response to Russian attacks on Ukrainian cities.

Ivan Cepeda and far-right lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella advance to Colombia's June 21 presidential runoff; Cepeda has since withdrawn both fraud allegations and plans for a new constitution.

Israel launched 44 strikes on Lebanon on the first day of Eid al-Adha, killing three people and damaging heritage sites. UNICEF reports 11 children are killed or wounded in Lebanon every day.

A pre-referendum poll shows 52% of Swiss voters opposed to the 'No to ten million' initiative, which would cap the country's population at 10 million by 2050. Support has slipped in the campaign's final weeks.

Romania confirmed a Russian Shahed-type drone struck a residential building on May 29, injuring two people — the first such strike on a NATO member since the Ukraine invasion. Britain summoned Russia's ambassador and allies pledged to reinforce air defences on the eastern flank.

Speaking at the St. Petersburg Economic Forum, Putin declared Russia would prevail militarily in Ukraine while claiming willingness to negotiate, as parallel US-Russia talks on energy and economy continued.

Ukrainian drones struck Kronstadt Naval Base near Saint Petersburg, damaging Baltic Fleet vessels during the city's economic forum, while Russian missiles and drones killed multiple civilians across Ukraine including in Odesa.

Polish qualifier Maja Chwalinska will contest her first Grand Slam final after Aryna Sabalenka was knocked out in the quarterfinals by Diana Shnaider; Chwalinska faces Mirra Andreeva at Roland-Garros 2026.

Ecuador has finalised its roster for the 2026 World Cup, with Willian Pacho and Piero Hincapié the last to arrive. The squad's selection has prompted debate, particularly over whether Kendry Páez earned his place on current form.

The US House of Representatives approved a war powers resolution directing President Trump to end military operations against Iran. Trump reacted with sharp public criticism.

President Trump has tasked Ambassador Tom Barrack, already serving in Ankara, with the additional portfolio of special presidential envoy for Iraq and Syria, concentrating a wide Middle East brief in a single diplomat.

A Serbian UN peacekeeper died from mortar fire near Marjeyoun in southern Lebanon, and a dentist and his two children killed in an Israeli strike were buried in Qlayaa. Israel's Supreme Court separately overturned a ban on ICRC prison visits.

Adam Hamawy, an Egyptian-born US Army doctor who volunteered in Gaza and publicly called the campaign there a genocide, won the New Jersey Democratic House primary, positioning one of Congress's most vocal critics of US Israel policy for a general-election race.

The annual press dinner, interrupted when a gunman breached a security checkpoint on April 25, 2026, will be held again on July 24, with Trump confirmed to attend and speak.

Pop singer Dua Lipa and British actor Callum Turner married in a small London ceremony, with a larger celebration reportedly planned in Sicily.

World number one Aryna Sabalenka lost a French Open quarterfinal to Diana Shnaider at Roland Garros after collapsing from a set and double-break lead, saying afterwards she wanted to quit tennis.

Japan and the Philippines are deepening defence and maritime ties over shared concerns about China, which calls their sea-boundary talks illegal; Taiwan separately demands its exclusive economic zone rights be respected in the negotiations.

Kyrgyzstan secured a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council with 142 votes against the Philippines' 49, a result hailed in Bishkek as a historic diplomatic achievement.

The Trump administration announced proposed 25% tariffs on Brazil, citing what it calls unreasonable trade practices — despite the US running a trade surplus with the country. Sixty other nations face similar measures under a broader tariff push.

Hamas denied obstructing a governance handover and said it is willing to relinquish control, while Israeli airstrikes continued killing civilians and UN humanitarian funding for Gaza remained below 15 percent of its appeal.

Ahmed al-Ahmed, celebrated for disarming a gunman during the December 2025 Bondi Beach attack, has been charged with domestic assault, stalking, and intimidating his father, complicating his public hero status.

SpaceX has filed for an IPO seeking $75 billion, which would surpass Saudi Aramco's 2019 listing as the largest in history, valuing the company at $1.765 trillion.

Muhittin Böcek, the arrested mayor of Antalya cooperating with prosecutors under a remorse provision, testified that he delivered €950,000 to the late Manisa mayor Ferdi Zeyrek on the instruction of CHP chairman Özgür Özel.

Cuba will suspend Visa and Mastercard transactions from June 6 after a foreign processing bank, under US sanctions pressure, severed ties with the Cuban state bank.

A drone attack killed seven and wounded eleven on a bus travelling through Russian-controlled Donetsk; Ukraine also struck targets in Crimea as Russia escalated aerial bombardment following stalled ground advances.

Hakan Fidan visited South Korea and held talks with Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, emphasizing defense cooperation including the Altay tank program and broader bilateral ties. Fidan also addressed Korea University's 143rd International Policy Forum.

A Nigerian court handed capital sentences to four men convicted of terrorism for the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which killed scores of worshippers during Sunday Mass.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi established a joint committee to integrate paramilitary groups into state security structures; US envoy Tom Barrack called it historic, but Iran-aligned factions have attached conditions.

Kenyan President William Ruto made a state visit to Pretoria, where bilateral talks with President Cyril Ramaphosa focused on expanding trade and strategic cooperation between the two countries.

North Korea revealed a newly operational facility producing weapons-grade nuclear fuel, with Kim Jong Un stating the country's nuclear material capacity more than doubled over five years and pledging further rapid expansion of the arsenal.

Nepali climbing guide Dawa Sherpa, missing on Mount Everest for six days and presumed dead — his family had begun funeral rites — was found crawling toward Base Camp through the Khumbu Icefall, having survived without food, water, or supplemental oxygen.

Trump described US-Iran negotiations as proceeding continuously while Iran's Revolutionary Guard warned that Tehran still holds significant leverage; a draft ceasefire extension framework reportedly awaits White House approval.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards launched retaliatory strikes on US targets and claimed to down an MQ-1 drone, even as diplomats edged toward a deal extending the April ceasefire by sixty days.