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  • US hopes to turn over ‘new leaf’ with Iran, but Trump threatens to resume bombing

    US hopes to turn over ‘new leaf’ with Iran, but Trump threatens to resume bombing

    A landmark round of technical negotiations between U.S. and Iranian officials got underway Sunday at Switzerland’s Burgenstock mountain resort, marking the first formal in-depth discussion between the two nations in modern history following last week’s landmark memorandum of understanding signed by Washington and Tehran. Leading the U.S. delegation, Vice President JD Vance outlined the White House’s stated goal: to turn a new page in relations between the United States and the Iranian people, extending what he called an “outstretched hand” to Tehran conditional on key concessions.

    Speaking to reporters on the opening day of talks mediated by Qatar and Pakistan, Vance said President Donald Trump has made a full reset of bilateral ties a top priority, contingent on Iran abandoning long-term nuclear ambitions and ending its role as a sponsor of regional instability. “This is a historic meeting,” Vance noted, adding that while the ongoing technical discussions would not resolve every outstanding disagreement overnight, they mark the first time both sides have sat down as collaborative negotiating teams to work through sticking points. The Iranian delegation is led by parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and army chief Asim Munir also present in Burgenstock to support mediation efforts.

    Yet even as negotiators convened for the landmark talks, Trump injected sharp tension into the process Sunday, issuing a public threat of expanded military strikes against Iran via his Truth Social platform unless Tehran halts what he described as destabilizing actions by its proxies in Lebanon. “Iran must immediately stop their highly paid PROXIES in Lebanon from causing trouble,” Trump wrote. “If they don’t, we’ll hit Iran very hard again, just like we did last week, only harder!!!”

    This threat aligned with recent escalatory moves across the region: Iran re-closed the strategic Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, a response to ongoing Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon that came just one day after a tentative ceasefire was reached between Israel and Hezbollah. The Israeli attacks that preceded the Strait closure killed at least 29 people, and Iran reiterated Sunday that it will not move forward with a broader comprehensive agreement with Washington until Israel ends all military operations in Lebanon.

    Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz doubled down on his country’s hardline position Sunday, confirming that Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon face “no restrictions” on eliminating perceived threats, and adding that Israel has no plans to withdraw from the 10-kilometer deep security zone it currently occupies inside Lebanese territory. Katz’s remarks came alongside startling new polling data that reveals deep public anger in Israel over the outcome of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran launched in late February.

    The survey, conducted by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, found that 92% of Israeli respondents believe Iran emerged as the winner of the conflict. A full 83% of those polled said the war has weakened Israel’s long-term national security, while 86% hold a negative view of the final outcome. Nearly 73% of respondents reject Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that Israel secured significant gains and eliminated an existential threat from Iran, a reflection of growing political uncertainty surrounding Netanyahu’s leadership. The poll results mirror widespread skepticism among Israel’s political and military elite, who widely view the end of the war as a turning point that could erode Israel’s regional influence.

    The talks in Switzerland have also thrown the close but increasingly strained relationship between the Trump administration and Netanyahu’s government into sharp relief. Last Friday, Vance pushed back against the common framing that criticism of the Israeli government inherently equates to antisemitism, noting that the Trump administration holds clear disagreements with Netanyahu on how the Iran war was concluded. “It’s just not the case that every criticism of Bibi Netanyahu’s policy decisions leads to antisemitism,” Vance said. He added that Israel is a valuable U.S. partner, similar to the United Kingdom or France, but that does not require aligned interests on every issue.

    Vance’s comments followed a stark warning he issued just one day earlier, when he argued that Trump is the only major global leader that remains openly sympathetic to Israel, urging Netanyahu’s government to avoid attacking its last powerful ally. “If I was in the cabinet of the Israeli government, I might not be attacking the only powerful ally that I have anywhere left in the entire world,” Vance told reporters Thursday.

  • Ninety-two percent of Israelis think Iran has won war, new poll finds

    Ninety-two percent of Israelis think Iran has won war, new poll finds

    When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched the US-backed Israeli military campaign against Iran in late February, the Israeli government laid out two unambiguous, ambitious goals: dismantle Tehran’s nuclear and ballistic missile development programs and bring about the collapse of the ruling Iranian government. Months later, after Washington and Tehran reached a preliminary agreement and ongoing negotiations continue in Switzerland, a newly released public opinion survey has found that an overwhelming 92 percent of Israeli citizens are convinced that Iran emerged as the winner of the conflict.

    Conducted jointly by the Agam Institute and Hebrew University of Jerusalem between June 17 and June 20, the poll surveyed 3,644 Israeli adults aged 17 and older, using a demographically weighted sample designed to accurately reflect the country’s overall population. Pollsters noted the survey carries a maximum margin of error of 2.2 percentage points at a 99 percent confidence level, lending significant statistical weight to its findings.

    The results reveal deep public dissatisfaction with the war and its negotiated outcome: 83 percent of respondents agree the campaign has eroded Israel’s long-term national security, while 86 percent hold an entirely negative view of the final deal. This widespread public sentiment aligns closely with the perspective of Israel’s top political and military leadership, many of whom frame the end of the Iran war as a pivotal shift that will diminish Israel’s strategic influence across the Middle East.

    Netanyahu has repeatedly claimed the campaign delivered significant strategic gains and eliminated a major existential threat to Israel, but three-quarters of Israelis – 72.5 percent – do not accept this assertion. The widespread skepticism has fueled growing political uncertainty around the prime minister’s hold on power. Overall, nearly 88 percent of respondents say Israel failed to achieve either of its core original war goals, or only met a small fraction of them. More than half – 56 percent – rate Netanyahu’s leadership and management of the Iran conflict as poor or an outright failure.

    Notably, the public’s negative assessment of the Iran war outcome has not translated to broad support for an Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon, a longstanding sticking point in the US-Iran negotiations. Iran has consistently maintained that no permanent ceasefire can hold as long as Israeli forces carry out airstrikes across Lebanon and maintain a forward military presence several kilometers inside southern Lebanese territory.

    The poll found that 48 percent of Israelis back the ongoing Israeli military campaign in Lebanon, which the Israeli government frames as a targeted operation against Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned Lebanese political and military organization. Even among respondents who acknowledge the campaign could spark a direct clash with US President Donald Trump, majority support for the operation holds steady among this group.

    This independent reporting is part of Middle East Eye’s ongoing coverage of conflict and politics across the Middle East and North Africa region.

  • ‘Systemic discrimination’: Veiled women in France face mounting barriers to employment

    ‘Systemic discrimination’: Veiled women in France face mounting barriers to employment

    Across professional sectors in France, a pressing question lingers: do education, professional status and institutional integration shield veiled Muslim women from rising Islamophobia? For Paris Court of Appeal lawyer Slim Ben Achour, a leading expert in equality and anti-discrimination law, the answer is a firm no. Ben Achour, who has represented dozens of Muslim women targeted for workplace discrimination over their headscarves, argues that higher education and greater public visibility actually make educated, professional veiled women more vulnerable to racist targeting.

  • Nobel Peace Prize winner triumphs at Ethiopian polls but fears grow of new conflict

    Nobel Peace Prize winner triumphs at Ethiopian polls but fears grow of new conflict

    Ethiopia’s recent general election has delivered a resounding victory to Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and his ruling Prosperity Party, cementing the incumbent’s hold on power for another five-year term as the country grapples with deep-seated security challenges and regional instability. With 438 of 501 declared parliamentary seats already secured by the Prosperity Party, Abiy is set to be sworn in for a new term in early October. Supporters of the prime minister point to his pledges to continue driving economic transformation across Africa’s second most populous nation, where the capital Addis Ababa has already seen widespread rapid infrastructure development in recent years. But critics and regional analysts warn that the lopsided election result, overshadowed by widespread opposition boycotts, ongoing insurgencies and broken peace accords, could deepen divisions and push the country back into large-scale conflict. Abiy first rose to power in 2018, amid widespread anti-government protests that shook the long-standing ruling coalition. Initially celebrated for his promises of national reconciliation and democratic opening, he quickly drew backlash from politicians of the northern Tigray region, which had dominated Ethiopian national politics for more than 20 years. Just one year after taking office, Abiy was awarded the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize, primarily for his diplomatic efforts to end two decades of hostilities with neighboring Eritrea. That breakthrough has since unraveled, however, creating a dangerous new web of regional alliances that threaten stability across the Horn of Africa. The 2020-2022 Tigray civil war, which killed an estimated 600,000 people and pushed millions to the brink of famine, formally ended with a November 2022 peace deal brokered by the African Union. But tensions have remained high, and the entire Tigray region – home to six million people across 36 electoral constituencies – was completely excluded from the recent general election, as fears of renewed fighting grow. Both sides have repeatedly accused one another of violating the terms of the 2022 peace accord. In the weeks leading up to the election, Tigray’s dominant Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) restored its pre-war regional administration, disbanding an interim body appointed by Abiy’s government. Local reports have emerged of forced recruitment of young Tigrayan men to rearm, claims that TPLF-aligned local authorities deny, saying civilians are only receiving voluntary self-defense training. But regional analysts note that the rising tensions are driven by actions from both Abiy and TPLF leadership. Cameron Hudson, an Africa analyst and former U.S. State Department official, explained that Abiy’s government has stepped back from the terms of the peace deal and made threatening military moves toward Tigray, while TPLF actions have stoked fears of preparations for renewed conflict. The regional dynamic has been further complicated by a dramatic shift in alliances along the Ethiopia-Eritrea border. When the Tigray war broke out, Eritrean troops fought alongside Abiy’s federal forces against the TPLF, with widespread allegations of atrocities against Tigrayan civilians that Eritrean and Ethiopian authorities have denied. Today, Abiy’s repeated public calls for Ethiopia to regain access to a Red Sea port – lost when Eritrea gained independence in 1993 – have pushed relations between Addis Ababa and Asmara to a breaking point. Eritrea now accuses Ethiopia of imperial ambitions, and Asmara has formally aligned with the TPLF, raising the prospect that any new conflict in Tigray would draw in a neighboring sovereign state. Ongoing insurgencies in two of Ethiopia’s most populous regions, Amhara and Oromia, have further disrupted the election process. On voting day, 143 polling stations failed to open in the two regions due to safety threats from anti-government armed groups: the Fano militia in Amhara and the proscribed Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) in Oromia, both of which demand greater regional autonomy and rejected the election and its final results. Beyond Ethiopia’s borders, the country is also embroiled in the ongoing civil war in neighboring Sudan. Multiple international reports have accused Addis Ababa of providing support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), one of the main warring factions in Sudan’s conflict, claims that the Ethiopian government has repeatedly denied. Eritrea and the TPLF, meanwhile, are known to maintain close ties with the Sudanese military, which is fighting the RSF, creating a connected web of conflict that analysts warn could spill across regional borders. The international community has already begun to sound the alarm over rising tensions. The European Union has called for immediate de-escalation in northern Ethiopia, while the United States – a key broker of the 2022 Tigray peace deal – recently announced targeted visa restrictions on hardline TPLF members and their immediate families, citing their role in undermining efforts to resolve the regional crisis. While many analysts do not expect an immediate return to full-scale civil war, they warn that the ongoing low-level polarisation and tension creates a dangerous powder keg. Magnus Taylor, a Horn of Africa analyst at the International Crisis Group, explained that the current dynamic leaves the door open for miscalculation: with the federal government in Addis Ababa convinced the TPLF is aligned with Ethiopia’s foreign enemies, even small clashes could escalate into a full regional conflict centered on Tigray. Opposition figures in Tigray echo that concern, noting that both sides have refused to return to negotiated talks to resolve outstanding differences. For the upcoming months following the election, analysts say the path Abiy chooses will shape the entire future of Ethiopia. While some observers worry the prime minister will use his newly consolidated political power to attempt a military solution to the ongoing Tigray conflict, his supporters maintain he will focus on delivering the economic transformation he has promised to a country that has long struggled with poverty and instability.

  • Scottish counter-terrorism police investigating ‘anti-Muslim’ Edinburgh attacks

    Scottish counter-terrorism police investigating ‘anti-Muslim’ Edinburgh attacks

    EDINBURGH — Scottish counter-terrorism policing units have launched a formal investigation into a string of coordinated violent attacks that left five Muslim men injured across the city Friday, in assaults that top UK officials have confirmed were driven by overt anti-Muslim bigotry.

    Five men between the ages of 22 and 36, all targeted because of their Muslim identity, were hurt in the linked incidents, authorities confirmed. Three of the victims were taken to local hospitals for treatment of injuries that are not considered life-threatening.

    Shortly after the attacks, police took a 36-year-old white Scottish man into custody. He faces multiple charges including making threats, committing robbery, and vandalism related to the violent incidents. Witnesses and arresting officers allege that during his detainment, the suspect shouted explicit anti-Muslim slurs, claiming he was “protecting” the country from what he falsely framed as a threat to children from Muslim communities. Unconfirmed social media footage circulating after the arrest also appears to show the suspect carrying a weapon during the attacks.

    UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly condemned the violence in a post on the social platform X, calling the attacks “absolutely appalling.” Starmer emphasized that the suspected hate motive was clear, stating, “I will not tolerate this — he will face the full force of the law.” Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney echoed the condemnation, saying he was “deeply concerned” by the incidents, adding that “there is no place for violence, racism or intolerance in our country.”

    Muslim advocacy groups across the UK have gone further, calling for authorities to explicitly classify the attacks as far-right Islamistophobic terrorism, arguing that the suspect’s publicly stated motive leaves no room for ambiguity. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) said the attacks were not an isolated incident, tracing them to a broader culture of divisive political rhetoric that demonizes entire Muslim communities. The organization noted the attacks came just weeks after targeted anti-minity violence in Belfast, warning that escalating bigotry is directly enabled by dehumanizing political discourse.

    A spokesperson for UK-based non-profit Muslim Engagement and Development stressed that authorities must acknowledge the clear hate motive behind the attacks. “To investigate these attacks while ignoring a motive shouted aloud at the point of arrest would tell every Muslim in Scotland that the law does not see the hatred aimed at them,” the group said.

    The Edinburgh attacks align with a documented recent surge in anti-Muslim hate crime across the UK, newly released data shows. Metropolitan Police statistics published in early June reveal that Islamophobic hate offenses jumped 33 percent between April and May this year, rising from 135 reported cases to 179 — the highest monthly count recorded since August 2024. The sharp upward trend followed a period of decline in late 2025 and early 2026, but began spiking in March shortly after the UK government implemented a revised official definition of anti-Muslim hostility, a change that advocacy groups say has emboldened bigots.

  • Teenager killed in Donegal rally crash named

    Teenager killed in Donegal rally crash named

    One of Ireland’s most prominent annual motorsport events has been brought to a tragic early end after a 15-year-old spectator was killed when struck by a competing rally vehicle on Saturday, with two other attendees injured in the incident. The victim, identified by An Garda Síochána, Ireland’s national police service, as Tadhg Callaghan Carter, lost his life in the collision that unfolded shortly before 5 p.m. local time in the Trentagh area near Kilmacrennan, County Donegal.

    Emergency responders rushed the teenager to Letterkenny University Hospital, where medical teams later confirmed he had died from his injuries. Two additional spectators who were hurt in the same incident were also transported to the same medical facility for treatment. Their injuries have been classified as non-life-threatening, and they are reported to be in stable condition as of the latest updates.

    In the wake of the tragedy, rally organizers made the immediate decision to halt the ongoing event and scrap all remaining stages of the three-day gathering as a public mark of respect for the deceased teenager. Both Motorsport Ireland, the governing body for motorsport in the country, and the Donegal Motor Club, the primary organizer of the international rally, released official statements extending their deepest condolences to Callaghan Carter’s family and loved ones. They also issued a public request that the family be granted privacy to grieve in the coming days.

    Irish police have launched a formal investigation into the circumstances that led to the fatal collision, and are actively asking members of the public who were at the location of the incident — marked as Location 15 on Special Stage 12 Gartan — to come forward with information. Investigators are particularly eager to obtain any mobile phone recordings or dashcam footage captured in the area at the time of the event, which could help clarify the sequence of events leading to the tragedy.

    This death marks the latest in a string of fatal incidents stretching back decades at the Donegal International Rally, which is widely regarded as one of the largest and most prestigious motorsport competitions on the island of Ireland. The last fatality connected to the event occurred in 2019, when three-time rally champion Manus Kelly died behind the wheel during a competitive stage. Prior to that, an 18-year-old spectator was killed in 2008 when another competing car veered off the track, leading to the cancelation of that year’s remaining rally stages. In 1992, two event marshals died in a separate incident at the rally.

    Across all events sanctioned by Motorsport Ireland, this is the first spectator fatality recorded since the 2012 Cavan Stages rally, where two attendees lost their lives in an on-course incident.

  • Australia beats Bangladesh by 7 wickets in 3rd T20 to complete series sweep

    Australia beats Bangladesh by 7 wickets in 3rd T20 to complete series sweep

    In a dominant display of aggressive batting at the Chattogram venue on Sunday, Australia delivered a resounding seven-wicket victory over Bangladesh in the third and final T20 international, capping off a flawless 3-0 clean sweep of the bilateral series. Australia’s chase of a modest 110-run target was wrapped up in just 11 overs, powered by a devastating, quick-fire knock from captain Mitchell Marsh, who notched an unbeaten 60 off only 28 deliveries to set the tone for the win.

    Marsh’s innings was a masterclass in controlled aggression: the all-rounder smashed seven boundaries and four towering sixes, putting the Bangladeshi bowling attack under relentless pressure from the early overs. He and wicket-keeper batter Josh Inglis built a solid foundation for the chase, putting on a 54-run partnership during the mandatory opening powerplay before left-arm spinner Nasum Ahmed broke the stand, removing Inglis for 17.

    By the 23rd ball of his innings, Marsh had already notched his 14th career T20 half-century, sealing the milestone with a slog sweep for six off Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain. It looked as though he would see Australia across the finish line, but a late breakthrough from Bangladeshi paceman Shoriful Islam – one of three team changes Bangladesh made in a last-ditch effort to avoid a series sweep – ended his innings, with Shamim Hossain holding the catch when Australia was still 22 runs short of victory.

    The match did not last long after Marsh’s departure, however. Batter Tim David sealed the win in dramatic fashion, hitting two consecutive sixes off Hossain to push Australia to a final score of 112 for three. David remained unbeaten on 12 at the close, while Matt Renshaw, who hit a match-winning 89 not out in the second T20, finished unbeaten on six.

    Earlier in the day, Bangladesh captain Towhid Hridoy put on a lone standout performance with the bat after his side won the toss and elected to bat first. Hridoy carried his team to a total of 109 for eight from the full 20 overs, scoring an unbeaten 61 off 51 deliveries that included three fours and three sixes. Hossain was the only other Bangladeshi batter to reach double digits, finishing with 16 runs.

    Australia’s bowling attack was in formidable form, with fast bowlers Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis, and leg-spinner Adam Zampa each taking two wickets to restrict Bangladesh’s scoring. Notably, the series sweep comes after Bangladesh claimed a 2-1 victory over Australia in the preceding three-match one-day international series, making Australia’s clean sweep in the T20 leg all the more impressive. The first T20 of the series was won by Australia by four wickets, while the second ended in a seven-run win for the side.

  • Ten years on, Brexit still divides Britain and casts a pall over its economy

    Ten years on, Brexit still divides Britain and casts a pall over its economy

    LONDON – It has been 10 years since United Kingdom voters cast the historic referendum that split the nation, upended decades of European integration, and continues to define British politics to this day. The 2016 vote that birthed Brexit – shorthand for British exit from the European Union – delivered a narrow but transformative result: 52% of voters, totaling more than 17 million people, backed leaving the bloc. That slim margin triggered the most sweeping restructuring of Britain’s economy and society since the end of World War II. Like any complex marital dissolution, the formal separation was far from instantaneous: the full process stretched out over nearly five years before Brexit became official.

    The Brexit campaign grew from mounting public frustration, fueled not just by discontent with EU governance but also the lingering economic fallout of the 2008 global financial crisis. Leave campaigners channeled that widespread anger, promising that an independent Britain would be reinvigorated, free to set its own priorities and focus entirely on domestic needs. Conversely, Remain supporters warned that exiting the bloc would trigger severe economic chaos and erode Britain’s global standing. A decade on from the 2016 vote, the outcomes of the historic decision are coming into sharp focus.

    ### Unmet Economic Promises and Lingering Stagnation
    Brexit backers, commonly called Brexiters, once outlined a bold vision: outside the EU, Britain would unleash the entrepreneurial, buccaneering spirit that once made it the world’s preeminent global power and build a thriving independent economy. While overlapping global shocks – the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and escalating Middle East tensions – have muddied outcomes, the promised economic revitalization has failed to materialize.

    The 27-nation EU remains the UK’s largest trading partner by a wide margin, but British businesses have faced persistent new hurdles to cross-Channel trade. Though no tariffs apply to most British goods entering the bloc, a thick web of non-tariff barriers has slowed commerce: burdensome customs documentation, strict border certification requirements, and new visa restrictions that increase time and cost for traders. Most of the ambitious new trade deals that Brexiters touted – most prominently a comprehensive bilateral agreement with the United States – have never been finalized.

    Independent economic analysis confirms the UK has paid a steep price for the split. Experts estimate the British economy is between 4% and 8% smaller today than it would have been if the country had voted to remain in the bloc. That gap translates to lower household living standards and billions of pounds in lost revenue that could have been directed to public services – including the country’s beloved National Health Service (NHS). During the campaign, Brexit leaders infamously promised a 350 million pound weekly boost to NHS funding, a claim emblazoned on their iconic red campaign bus that has never come to fruition.

    “Brexit has made the U.K. economy smaller than it otherwise would have been,” explained Jonathan Portes, a professor at King’s College London. Writing for the UK in a Changing Europe think tank, Portes noted: “The effect has not been a sudden collapse, but a gradual and cumulative drag on trade, investment and productivity.”

    Brexit supporters push back against short-term criticism, arguing that the benefits of leaving the bloc can only be measured over decades. They maintain that short-term economic disruption was a predictable tradeoff for regaining full control over key policy areas, most notably immigration rules.

    ### Immigration: A Broken Promise of Border Control
    Ending the free movement of people between the UK and EU was a core policy goal of Brexit, but the push to “take back control” of Britain’s borders has delivered mixed results at best. While net migration from European countries has plummeted as promised, overall net migration from non-EU nations has surged. That sharp rise is partly a product of visa rule changes enacted by the former Conservative government, designed to fill critical labor gaps in sectors heavily dependent on foreign workers, such as elder care.

    In recent years, the UK government has moved to tighten overall immigration rules, and net migration has fallen sharply from a peak of more than 900,000 in 2023 to just 171,000 in 2024. Even as overall numbers decline, public anger has erupted over illegal migration, particularly the small boat crossings of the English Channel that bring asylum seekers – many fleeing war and persecution in Afghanistan, Sudan, and other conflict zones – to British shores.

    Though these crossings account for a tiny fraction of total migration to the UK, the issue has become one of the country’s most divisive political flashpoints. Crossings peaked at 46,000 in 2022, and remained high at 41,000 in 2023. Public outrage has centered on the cost of housing asylum seekers at public expense, and in some cases, violent protests have erupted outside hotels that house asylum seekers, including attempted arson attacks on facilities.

    ### Shifting Political Tides and Growing Public Regret
    In the decade since the referendum, Britain’s political landscape has fractured dramatically, with support collapsing for the two long-dominant parties: the Conservatives and Labour. The Conservative Party, which held power for 14 years and spent most of its final term mired in intractable debates over UK-EU relations, was voted out of office in 2024. The new Labour government has failed to win over public confidence, with widespread expectations that Prime Minister Keir Starmer will announce his resignation in the near future.

    Many disillusioned voters have flocked to Reform UK, the right-wing party led by iconic Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage. Farage’s party has held the lead in nearly every national opinion poll for more than a year.

    Alongside this political upheaval, a growing consensus has emerged across the UK that the Brexit project has failed. Recent polling from Ipsos finds that 52% of British voters now favor rejoining the EU, compared to just 33% who oppose re-entry. The poll also found that 48% of respondents believe Brexit has performed worse than they expected, while only 9% say it has gone better than expected. Nearly half of voters – 48% – support holding a second referendum on EU membership, compared to just 27% who oppose a new public vote.

    ### A Path Forward Remains Elusive
    Against this backdrop, the ruling Labour Party has navigated a precarious political tightrope since winning the 2024 general election. Party leaders have explicitly ruled out reversing Brexit, or even rejoining the EU’s frictionless single market, leaving little room for major policy shifts. Starmer has pushed for a limited “reset” of UK-EU relations focused on easing trade barriers, built up after years of acrimonious negotiations. He is expected to announce new easing measures at an upcoming summit with EU leaders next month – if he still holds the office of prime minister by that time.

    Andy Burnham, widely seen as Starmer’s most likely successor, has softened his stance on re-entry while campaigning ahead of a recent key special election. Burnham defeated a Reform UK challenger in a constituency that heavily backed Brexit in 2016. “I am not proposing that the U.K. considers rejoining the EU,” Burnham said. “I respect the decision that was made at the referendum and it is going to undermine everything I have said about strengthening democracy if we don’t respect that vote.”

    Associated Press writer Jill Lawless contributed reporting from London.

  • Tight security as Indian students resit medical exam after alleged paper leak

    Tight security as Indian students resit medical exam after alleged paper leak

    Millions of aspiring medical students across India sat for a high-stakes do-over entrance exam on Sunday, with authorities rolling out sweeping, unprecedented security measures to prevent a repeat of the paper leak scandal that forced the cancellation of the original test in May.

    The National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate), better known as NEET-UG, is the mandatory gateway for admission to all government and private medical colleges across India. For the millions of test-takers that compete annually, only a tiny fraction earn one of the extremely coveted spots at top institutions. The notoriously tough exam requires months, and often years, of intensive preparation, making the May cancellation a devastating blow for the 2.28 million candidates who had already sat the initial test.

    Allegations that the original exam paper had been illegally leaked and sold to test-takers sparked mass public protests across the country, with widespread calls for Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to step down. Pradhan rejected the demands and addressed candidates ahead of Sunday’s retest, urging them: “Sit fearlessly, without worry, and you will definitely do well.”

    This time around, authorities left no room for security gaps, deploying a multi-layered defense against cheating across 5,440 test centers nationwide, which contain more than 95,000 individual exam rooms. To eliminate the risk of tampering during transit, the Indian Air Force was tasked with flying new question papers to remote and high-risk regions. Uniformed police and paramilitary personnel were posted at every center, with drone patrols and specialized canine squads scanning perimeters for unauthorized activity.

    Upon arrival, every candidate underwent biometric identity verification, full body frisking, and searches by security personnel that included inspections of hair, jewelry, and clothing. In a controversial policy, strict dress codes were enforced: enclosed shoes were banned, and many women candidates were required to remove nose pins, earrings, and traditional sacred wrist threads to avoid any risk of hiding electronic cheating devices. A total of nearly 39,000 screening staff were hired nationwide, with 40 to 50 security personnel stationed at each individual center.

    Inside exam rooms, every space was covered by closed-circuit television, adding up to more than 1.3 million security cameras across the country. 51,311 signal jammers were activated at all centers to block mobile phone signals and prevent electronic interference that could aid cheating. As an additional precaution, the popular messaging platform Telegram was temporarily blocked nationwide through Monday, over concerns that the app had been used to coordinate illegal paper sharing in the May leak. Officials also warned candidates to ignore false paper leak rumors circulating on social media, which they said were designed to cause unnecessary stress and mislead test-takers.

    Despite the unprecedented security deployment, many candidates remained anxious about the repeat exam, recalling that this is not India’s first high-profile exam cheating scandal. One student, Diksha, told reporters: “There is fear because the exam paper has leaked once already. This is not a one-off thing, it happens every year. This time the authorities got to know about it and are holding the exam again, which is in a way a good thing because the students who worked hard should get fair results. But to study and prepare again in one month… to stay consistent is difficult.”

    NEET-UG is a 3-hour-and-15-minute multiple-choice exam covering physics, chemistry, and biology, with intense competition that pushes many candidates to pay for expensive private tutoring to boost their chances. The high stakes have created a profitable black market for organized crime networks that run exam fraud schemes, selling leaked question papers to well-funded candidates for large sums.

    The investigation into the May paper leak has been handed over to India’s top federal law enforcement agency, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). This incident also comes amid a string of recent testing controversies in the country: in 2024, NEET-UG was already roiled by allegations of paper leaks, fraud, and irregularities in grace mark awarding that sparked nationwide protests after thousands of candidates received unusually high scores. Earlier this year, thousands of 12th-grade students – the equivalent of UK A-level candidates – raised complaints of widespread marking errors after the rollout of a new digital grading system.

  • New Zealand crush England by 253 runs in 2nd test at The Oval as Henry rips through the tail

    New Zealand crush England by 253 runs in 2nd test at The Oval as Henry rips through the tail

    On the fifth and final day of the second Test between New Zealand and England at London’s iconic Oval ground, fast bowler Matt Henry produced a career-defining performance to deliver a crushing 253-run victory for the Black Caps, pushing the three-match series to a decisive decider in Nottingham kicking off this Thursday.

    England resumed play on Sunday morning at 182 for five wickets, chasing an improbable 463 runs to secure victory. What followed was a relentless masterclass in fast bowling from Henry, who ripped through the hosts’ lower order to claim the final five wickets in just 31 balls, a stretch that yielded only three runs. By the end of the innings, Henry finished with sensational figures of six wickets for 29 runs, combining this with his first-innings five wickets for 80 runs to end the match with 11 wickets for just 109 runs.

    This extraordinary haul marks the best match bowling figures ever recorded by a New Zealand seamer against England, and also marks Henry’s first 10-wicket match haul across his 35-Test career. He is also the first bowler to claim 10 wickets in an Oval Test since legendary Australian spinner Shane Warne during the 2005 Ashes series, and the first fast bowler to hit the milestone since Devon Malcolm’s 1994 performance against South Africa.

    Henry’s late-match spell included two consecutive double-wicket maidens that removed England star Joe Root, Jofra Archer, Matthew Fisher and Josh Tongue. The seamer even came within one delivery of a hat trick, only for Jordan Cox to successfully defend the final ball. Root, who carried England’s last faint hope of a comeback overnight on 75, added just two more runs before he was trapped lbw between bat and pad, ending his innings at 77 off 145 balls. His review of the decision was rejected, and England’s chances of a win departed with him.

    Archer fell to an unplayable delivery that skidded under his bat, ending his innings on a two-ball duck, while Fisher chopped onto his own leg stump and Tongue edged a catch to first slip—both batters gone without scoring. Henry celebrated his milestone five-wicket innings haul and 10-wicket match haul with a quiet roar before he was mobbed by his celebrating teammates. Cox, who resumed on zero, managed a quick 25 runs before he was bowled attempting a sweep, bringing the match to a close just 48 minutes after play began on the final day. Tailender Sonny Baker failed to score.

    This win marks only New Zealand’s seventh Test victory in England across 95 years of touring, and just their second at the Oval, with the last coming back in 1999. It follows a dominant England victory at Lord’s in the first Test of the series, setting up an all-or-nothing decider in Nottingham.

    For Henry, the historic performance marked a personal redemption arc. The senior seamer suffered back spasms on the first morning of the Lord’s Test, leaving him sidelined and unable to contribute meaningfully to the team’s effort. A 10-day break between matches allowed him to make a full recovery heading into the second Test.

    “It feels bad when you let the guys down on day one at Lord’s,” Henry told reporters after receiving the Player of the Match award. “It was great to come here and get my quota out. I didn’t expect it to unfold like that today but probably saved a hot day in the field.”

    Henry credited his wicketkeeper Tom Blundell for a key tactical contribution that unsettled England’s batters, noting Blundell’s decision to stand up to the stumps while he bowled kept batters guessing at the crease. “Having a world-class operator like Tom is huge,” he said. “He’s always up for it. You can’t do it unless you’ve got someone good behind the stumps. We know England like to create a flow of runs.”

    Beyond Henry’s magical bowling performance, the Black Caps’ win was built on strong contributions across the side, Henry noted. Kyle Jamieson claimed four wickets in the match after a standout bowling spell on Saturday evening, while Glenn Phillips hit his maiden Test century in New Zealand’s first innings to put the Black Caps in a commanding position. Henry Nicholls added a second century in the second innings, combining with Rachin Ravindra for a massive partnership that effectively batted England out of the contest before the final day.

    “Little moments in the first innings set the platform for the ball to get soft and Glenn to do his thing,” Henry said. “Top order did a job for us. The way the guys applied themselves with the ball, we talked about being relentless and different from each end. We stuck at it and got the rewards.”