Top World News
Delhi plans to ban petrol rickshaws and scooters in effort to cut toxic fumes
Government hopes for 30% of city’s fleet to be electric by 2030, in move hailed as ‘gamechanger’ on air pollutionThe unruly chaos of Delhi’s roads would be unrecognisable without the rickshaws and scooters that zip through India’s capital in their millions, emitting toxic fumes in their wake. But now, ambitious policies aim to give the city’s most recognisable vehicles an environmental makeover.On Monday, Delhi’s government announced plans to eventually ban petrol scooters, motorbikes and autorickshaws in favour of those running on electricity, in an attempt to bring down dangerously high pollution levels in the city by the end of the decade. Continue reading...
Putin admits to failure that blows up Trump's big Alaska win
Russian President Vladimir Putin has publicly disavowed the existence of any formal agreement reached during his August summit with President Donald Trump in Alaska, undercutting months of Kremlin messaging that had treated the meeting as a diplomatic turning point in the war in Ukraine.Senior Russian officials had insisted for months that a path to ending the war — largely on Moscow's terms — had effectively been settled in Anchorage, with only Ukrainian resistance standing in the way, but that narrative has unraveled in recent days, and Putin himself finally undercut Trump's diplomatic claims, reported the Washington Post.“There were indeed no agreements reached in Anchorage," Putin told reporters Sunday.“The spirit of Anchorage — although it wasn’t expressed in any formal documents, and no one put any signatures down — in Anchorage we discussed certain possibilities for ending the crisis in Ukraine,” Putin added, "and the compromises discussed were precisely the proposals the American side made to us.”Three top Russian officials recently accused the White House of failing to honor the supposed Alaska agreement, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov going so far as to suggest the summit may have been a U.S. "ploy to buy time to rearm the Kyiv regime," but Secretary of State Marco Rubio pushed back on the premise that any deal had been reached at all."If there had been an agreement, we would have had an end of the war," Rubio told reporters, noting that Russia's actual demands — including the entirety of Ukraine's Donetsk region — had never been agreed to.Analysts close to the Kremlin suggest the reversal reflects a shifting battlefield reality rather than a change of heart. Fyodor Lukyanov, a foreign policy analyst who advises the Kremlin, wrote that Trump likely arrived in Anchorage believing Ukraine's defeat was inevitable, but that Kyiv and European allies have since spent 10 months convincing him otherwise.That shift comes as Russian forces have stalled on the battlefield for the first time in four years, while Ukraine has scaled up drone production enough to sustain strikes deep inside Russian territory, including on occupied Crimea. Military analysts say Russia is increasingly playing catch-up technologically, even as it retains advantages in manpower and conventional weaponry.Meanwhile, Trump's attention has been pulled toward the conflict with Iran, and no major diplomatic breakthrough favoring Russia has emerged since the Anchorage summit.Putin said Sunday that Russia expects renewed U.S.-led peace talks, including a visit from envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, once the situation with Iran is resolved — suggesting Moscow still hopes to revive negotiations on more favorable terms, even as it now concedes the much-touted Alaska "deal" never actually existed.
White House rivalry complicates peace talks: 'Waiting to see if he self-destructs'
The Trump administration's effort to broker peace in the Middle East is being shaped — and at times complicated — by competing approaches from Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.A top Trump adviser described the two men as representing different instincts within the president's own thinking on the region, with Rubio leaning more pro-Israel and Vance more skeptical of Israeli positions, and one U.S. official told Axios the secretary of state has purposefully taken a back seat in the negotiations."He is waiting to see if Vance self-destructs," that official said.However, another senior U.S. official dismissed that take as "boneheaded and wrong," adding that "both Marco and JD are executing the president's will," and White House spokesperson Anna Kelly denied a political dynamic existed."There is one camp — President Trump's camp — and the entire administration is fully behind the president's efforts to ensure Iran can never possess a nuclear weapon," Kelly said.However, their competing approaches could be seen across three separate but overlapping agreements – a June 17 memorandum of understanding between the U.S. and Iran negotiated by Vance, envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner; a follow-up Vance-brokered arrangement with Iran on June 21 concerning Lebanon; and a peace framework between Israel and Lebanon, finalized Friday, that Rubio oversaw.Rubio's framework sought to limit Iranian influence in Lebanon, while Vance's earlier arrangement gave Tehran a role in shaping the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. The contradiction grew confusing enough that negotiators from both Israel and Lebanon asked American mediators last week to clarify which track reflected actual U.S. policy. Hezbollah and its allies rejected Rubio's deal outright and called instead for the Vance-negotiated MOU to take precedence.Officials close to the process maintain that the apparent inconsistencies are not signs of dysfunction, with one adviser comparing Rubio and Vance to complementary tools rather than opposing factions, adding that Trump ultimately directs the strategy. A senior official added that the two men's portfolios diverge geographically more than ideologically, overlapping primarily in Lebanon.Insiders don't see conflicts over individual deals authorized through Rubio or Vance as an impediment for the president, and even suggested the competing approaches would be beneficial."This is all about moving toward peace – the more peace deals, the better," aid one senior administration official. "If Iran wants peace, there will be peace. If it wants war, there will be war."That official disputed the notion of conflict between the vice president and secretary of state."[They're] working in concert with each other," that senior official said. "It's not that one has the pro-Israel bucket and the other has the anti-Israel bucket. It's not how it works internally."
‘Humanity is a privilege’: Umar Khalid on his six years in an Indian jail without trial
Exclusive: Activist tells of his life as one of India’s most prominent political prisoners and his opposition to the government of Narendra ModiPrison is hardest at sunset. As the thousands of prisoners incarcerated in Delhi’s most infamous jail are cast out of their cells and forced into the dank yard until darkness falls, prisoner number 626714 feels the punishing dread begin to rise.Yet the inmate – better known as Umar Khalid – was recently moved to discover that another political prisoner, exiled at a camp thousands of miles from India, wrote of the very same feeling more than 150 years ago. Continue reading...
UK's likely next prime minister snubs Trump's America 250 party citing 'scheduling clash'
Andy Burnham, the United Kingdom's likely prime minister-in-waiting, turned down an invite from President Donald Trump for the upcoming 250th anniversary of American independence, Politico reported on Monday.A spokesperson for Burnham told Politico that he won't attend the U.S. embassy's "Great American Jubilee" at U.S. Ambassador Warren Stephens’ official residence in Regent’s Park on Tuesday due to a "scheduling clash." The swanky celebration is expected to draw dignitaries, military brass and business leaders, and will feature a performance from country music superstar Tim McGraw."Invitations have been sent to every major party leader," according to Politico. "Previous attendees include former Prime Minister Liz Truss, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and outgoing U.K. PM Keir Starmer, who attended in 2023 before he entered office."Last week, Trump sneered at Burnham, calling him a former "mayor of a town" and "extremely liberal."Burnham was expected to be approved as the U.K.'s next prime minister on July 20, Politico reported.Burnham wasn't the only person to turn down Trump. Pop star Katy Perry declined to perform at America250 celebrations in Brussels over the weekend.
Pakistani airstrikes kill dozens in eastern Afghanistan
Pakistan says strikes were aimed at a terrorist group while Taliban condemn ‘cowardly act of aggression’Pakistani airstrikes in three eastern provinces of Afghanistan killed 36 civilians and wounded 163 others, Afghan officials have said, as attacks between the two countries showed no sign of abating.Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the operations on Sunday night were aimed at a terrorist group his country blamed for a deadly militant attack in Karachi that killed three security personnel over the weekend. Continue reading...
Nobel winner delivers scathing Musk takedown: 'Blood of millions of children on his hands'
A Nobel laureate held the world's richest man Elon Musk responsible for the deaths of millions of children in a scathing takedown.Renowned economist Paul Krugman called Musk "a horrible, terrible person" in a recent episode of his podcast. Krugman mostly focused on Musk's cuts to USAID while in the Trump administration."For most of last year, Elon Musk was the second most powerful man in America," Krugman explained. "He was running a large part of the government's budget, and during that time, he established a track record of evil incompetence."Musk "fed USAID to the wood chipper," and "more or less personally set out to destroy this aid agency, set out to cut off healthcare, nutritional assistance, just basic necessities of life for millions and millions of extremely desperate people," Krugman said, adding that "he did so callously, carelessly."Krugman continued, saying, "I mean, really evil and really incompetent on enormous scales, and why aren't people talking about it more?"USAID was "the principal channel for aid to the most desperate, poorest people in the world," Krugman continued. Cuts by Musk have "led to millions of unnecessary deaths, including millions of children," Krugman added, saying the point was proven by studies, health models, and "field evidence of widespread death as a result of the cancellation."He described Musk as "quite evil," and "very much like Trump, somebody who can dish it out, but can't take it, can't even handle the kind of criticism that any public figure should expect to receive," Krugman said.On Holding Elon Musk Accountable by Paul KrugmanWhy aren't we talking more about DOGE?Read on Substack
Supreme Court blew chance to erase legacy of law-breaking Kristi Noem: conservative
“The pungent odor of Kristi Noem lingers in Washington.”Those are the opening words of longtime conservative columnist George Will, whose column in the Washington Post hammered the 6-3 Supreme Court majority for wrongly dismantling the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program depended upon by hundreds of thousands of immigrants.According to Will, the conservative majority deliberately ignored overwhelming evidence that Kristi Noem's actions were driven by racial "animus," and therefore "violated the pertinent law."As he pointed out, within three days of the former Department of Homeland Security head terminating TPS for Haitians and Syrians, which led to the court case that made its way to the nation's highest court, Noem publicly recommended "a full travel ban on every damn country that's been flooding our nation with killers, leeches, and entitlement junkies" who "slaughter our heroes" and "suck dry our hard-earned tax dollars."He dryly added, "She [Noem] refrained from echoing Trump’s assertion about kitten-cooking Haitians in Springfield, Ohio. This marks her as a MAGA moderate. JD Vance spread the pet-eating fiction because he said creating 'stories' (his word) makes the media notice Americans’ suffering.""Surely justices are not required to ignore such rhetoric? And although thoughtful people disagree about whether, or how much, justices should consider the downstream consequences of their rulings," he suggested.Expressing his disappointment with the conservative-majority court, he offered, "Time and freshening breezes will cleanse Washington, dissipating the legacies of appointees like Noem, and of the president who chose them. The court’s mistaken ruling she provoked will be more lasting."
JD Vance delivers stark warning to Iran: 'Violence will be met with violence'
Vice President JD Vance delivered a warning to Tehran on Friday night after the United States launched a series of air strikes.The strikes came over a week after President Donald Trump signed a ceasefire deal meant to end the war. U.S. Central Command said its forces hit Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar stations. It called the strikes a response to an Iranian attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.Vance responded to the attacks in a post on X."Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone," Vance said. "But violence will be met with violence."Iran signed a ceasefire agreement. We have honored it. If they have disagreements about how the MOU is being applied, they can pick up the phone. But violence will be met with violence. https://t.co/VWnBS1PWaV— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 26, 2026
US conducts air strikes on Iran after Trump signs ceasefire deal
The United States launched airstrikes on Iran on Friday, just over a week after President Donald Trump signed a ceasefire deal meant to end the war.U.S. Central Command said its forces hit Iranian missile and drone storage sites and coastal radar stations. It called the strikes a response to an Iranian attack on a commercial ship in the Strait of Hormuz.That attack came a day earlier. Iran struck the Singapore-flagged cargo ship Ever Lovely with a one-way attack drone on June 25, as the vessel left the strait along the Omani coast.Trump said the drone hit the ship's upper deck, but it kept moving. He blamed Iran directly."Obviously, this is a foolish violation of our Ceasefire Agreement," he wrote on Truth Social."The unwarranted aggression against commercial shipping by Iranian forces clearly violated the ceasefire," CENTCOM said, adding that Iran's behavior threatened the free flow of ships through the vital trade route.Trump signed the deal on June 17, starting a 60-day window of talks aimed at a permanent end to the fighting. The truce has looked shaky from the start.A central fight is the Strait itself. Iran insists it controls the waterway and can charge ships to pass. The United States and six Gulf states have rejected that.Roughly a fifth of the world's oil and gas moves through the Strait of Hormuz. Oil prices fell about 3% on Friday as traders weighed the conflicting signals.Trump warned this month that if Iran did not honor the deal, including keeping the strait open, the U.S. would probably go back to bombing the country.
Jim Jordan humiliated on Fox News after botching basic sports: 'I love World Cup Hockey!'
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) confused World Cup soccer and hockey during a live broadcast Friday on Fox News — and the internet didn't miss it.Jordan apparently mixed up the current FIFA World Cup with MMA and hockey, confusing the sports events in the interview. He was asked about the upcoming match between Team USA and Bosnia and Herzegovina on July 1."I hope we go all the way to the championship and win it," Jordan said. "Golly, I mean, we're on a run. Look at the UFC fight where the American beat the Spanish guy in the main event. We're on a roll so let's hope the hockey team can do the same."The anchors did not correct him, but repeated that it was the World Cup they were referring to.Social media users mocked the MAGA lawmaker's comments."I love World Cup Hockey!" Mueller She Wrote, popular political social media account, wrote on Bluesky."You do not understand how f------ hard this made me laugh oh my god lmaooooo," writer Karlee Suszann posted on Bluesky."Jim Jordan on the World Cup: 'Look at the UFC fight where the American beat the Spanish guy in the main event. We're on a roll so let's hope the hockey team can do the same.' (The World Cup isn't a hockey event ...)," journalist Aaron Rupar wrote on X."LOL if you don't watch soccer, just say so and don't comment on it. Now Jordan looks like a dumb---," Marty Golingan, journalist and former OAN producer, wrote on X."It would definitely be bigger than the 'Miracle on Ice' if the US Hockey team wins the #FIFAWorldCup," journalist Robert Lusetich wrote on X.Jim Jordan on the World Cup: "Look at the UFC fight where the American beat the Spanish guy in the main event. We're on a roll so let's hope the hockey team can do the same."(The World Cup isn't a hockey event ...) pic.twitter.com/pSOjRS2p4D— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 26, 2026
'Are you kidding me?' MS NOW goes off as Trump in-law accused of making 'skeevy' deals
Reacting to reports that Michael Boulos, who is married to Donald Trump’s daughter Tiffany, is being included in meetings with Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the Middle East, MS NOW Host Stephanie Ruhle blurted, “Are you kidding me!?” and suggested something didn’t smell right.Bloomberg Opinion columnist and former Trump biographer Tim O’Brien agreed.“Michael Boulos, yes, I know you don't know this guy's name,” she began. “Rubio said he was just there to see me and to catch up. He also said that Boulos did not participate in any policy discussions. Are you kidding me? Okay, like, seriously? We are talking about a war, we're talking about peace negotiations, we're talking about meeting with international leaders and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Michael, just needed to catch on up with Marco Rubio? And this was the place to do it? How did he fly there? Who paid for that ticket?”“Let's put that meeting in context to the meeting with sheikhs,” O’Brien offered. “The UAE spymaster, a UAE power broker, a very wealthy man who invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the Trump family's crypto operations --.” "World Liberty Financial,” Ruhle helpfully pointed out. “The Trump White House lifted the sale of highly classified semiconductor chips to the UAE that the Biden administration had forbidden to be exported on national security grounds, because chips now are the stuff of military dominance, AI dominance and technology dominance, and they're valuable things to monitor,” he continued.“Marco Rubio is in this meeting with the same sheikh and he has Michael Boulos sitting there like a potted plant who has no foreign policy experience? I don't think has a security clearance,” he added. “Okay, he has been doing rather shifty things, according to the New York Times reporting around deals in the Middle East, also something hinky with a yacht sale to Jared Kushner, et cetera et cetera.”"The only thing Michael Boulos appears to bring to the table is a hunger to cut deals, some of which appear skeevy,” he claimed. “Why is he at the table? And then, when Michael Rubio was asked about it, he said I just thought it would be good for him to attend so he could watch me and hang out. — this is like Animal House.”“Animal House, was a silly movie about boys in a fraternity; this is a war,” Ruhle exclaimed. “This is our national freaking security.” - YouTube youtu.be
