Global Pulse

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  • British woman jailed for blackmail after accusing banker of rape in Hong Kong

    British woman jailed for blackmail after accusing banker of rape in Hong Kong

    A 26-year-old British woman from Hackney, East London, has received a total six-year prison sentence from a Hong Kong court following her conviction on charges of blackmail and perverting the course of justice, for fabricating a rape claim to extort hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong dollars from a British banker.

    Isabel Rose met the unnamed financial professional in Thailand in December 2023, and traveled to Hong Kong on January 31, 2024, to visit him at his residential accommodation. Just one day after her arrival, she first claimed he had raped her during an encounter at his home, triggering the immediate arrest of the man by local law enforcement. The suspect was eventually released without any charges laid after investigators reviewed evidence in the case, and Rose was taken into custody the day after the arrest and charged with two criminal offenses related to the false accusation.

    Rose was formally found guilty of both counts by Hong Kong’s District Court back in March 2025, and she had continuously rejected the charges, maintaining that her rape allegation was truthful. On Wednesday, Judge Adriana Tse Ching handed down the sentencing: five years imprisonment for the blackmail charge, and three years for perverting the course of justice, with one year of the sentences to run consecutively, resulting in a total six-year term behind bars.

    The prosecution’s case rested heavily on a series of WhatsApp messages exchanged between Rose and the banker in the hours and days following the alleged incident. In a message sent the morning after the encounter, Rose first asked the man if he was upset that she did not consent to sex, to which he responded that he was not and respected her boundaries. Later that same day, Rose shifted her narrative, stating the man had violated her while she did not want sexual contact. In a surprising response, the man apologized, saying he had been intoxicated and misread her signals, a statement prosecutors later highlighted as a reflection of his momentary confusion and willingness to take responsibility for a misstep he believed he had made.

    As exchanges continued, Rose explicitly framed the encounter as rape, before turning the conversation to financial compensation. Court documents show the man initially agreed to cover Rose’s travel and accommodation costs, and transferred £5,000 to her the same day they reached an initial agreement, even attempting to send a second £5,000 transfer. Rose rejected the partial payment, claiming the amount transferred was only 10% of the total £100,000 ($134,000) she demanded, writing that the man had “100% of my soul gone.” When the banker responded that he could not afford the six-figure sum, Rose followed through on her threat and filed a formal rape report with Hong Kong Police on February 2, 2024.

    In her guilty verdict, Judge Tse relied significantly on the timeline and content of the text messages, which exposed the inconsistent and manipulative nature of Rose’s claims, local outlet South China Morning Post reported. During the sentencing hearing, Judge Tse condemned Rose’s actions as “cruel and evil,” noting that the defendant had deliberately exploited the banker’s kindness, naivety, existing friendship and romantic interest in her to orchestrate her extortion plot. The judge emphasized that Rose was fully responsible for her own criminal actions, adding that her false police report was a “vengeful and wicked” act that wasted significant law enforcement resources and put an innocent man through severe emotional and legal harm.

  • ‘Momentum is still there’: The BBC at India’s ‘cockroach’ protest

    ‘Momentum is still there’: The BBC at India’s ‘cockroach’ protest

    Even as relentless downpours swept through India’s capital city of New Delhi overnight, thousands of supporters affiliated with the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) have refused to abandon their demonstration, vowing that their push for change retains its full momentum. The unexpected heavy rainfall, which left many parts of the city waterlogged and disrupted routine daily life across the national capital, created significant challenges for protesters gathered at key protest sites across the city. Despite soaked clothing, uneven, muddy ground, and logistical hurdles that come with unseasonable heavy rain, the crowd has remained steadfast, choosing to continue their demonstration rather than stand down. Protesters and organizers with the movement have told reporters that the core momentum of their protest remains unbroken, with the widespread turnout through the storm serving as a demonstration of the depth of commitment among the movement’s supporters. The ongoing protest in the heart of India’s capital continues to draw attention to the group’s policy and political demands, as observers across the country monitor how the demonstration evolves in the coming days.

  • South Korean singer Lim Kim traces a decade of self-discovery on new album ‘Exit to Nowhere’

    South Korean singer Lim Kim traces a decade of self-discovery on new album ‘Exit to Nowhere’

    For 10 years, South Korean singer Lim Kim has quietly navigated the overlapping crossroads of the music industry, personal growth, and self-definition, asking one persistent question: Where do I belong? Her second full-length studio album, *Exit to Nowhere*, a seven-track collection, lays bare this decade-long journey of searching and becoming.

    At 32, Kim frames the new release as a reflective retrospective on the seismic shifts of her 20s and early 30s, moving past the unmoored uncertainty that defined her young adulthood into a more intentional understanding of self. “It has seven tracks, and they reflect the emotions and feelings I’ve experienced from my early 20s until now — like a chronicle of my life,” Kim shared in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press.

    The new album marks Kim’s first major full project since her 2019 extended play *GENERASIAN*, arriving 13 years after her 2011 debut full-length album *A Voice*. Throughout her career, Kim has built a reputation for pushing genre boundaries and centering themes of identity, belonging, and personal exploration, making this long-awaited return a highly anticipated moment for her fanbase.

    When Kim released *GENERASIAN*, mainstream global interest in South Korean culture and K-pop was still in its early growth phase. That project grew out of Kim’s desire to articulate her unique experience as a Korean-born Asian woman, sharing a perspective that she felt had been largely missing from mainstream cultural conversations. “That was a period when no one had really told that story properly,” she explained. “I wanted to show that perspective properly — not through the way it’s usually seen from abroad, but from my own point of view.”

    With *Exit to Nowhere*, Kim shifts her focus away from the broader cultural commentary that anchored *GENERASIAN*, turning inward toward deeply intimate personal reflection. After finishing work on her 2019 EP, Kim spent years weighing what direction to take next, framing each of her releases as a time-stamped snapshot of her emotional state in that moment. “Each album feels like a record of what I was feeling at that time, and then I move on,” she said. “This time, I wanted to focus more on my own individual story.”

    Kim first rose to fame in 2011 as one half of the beloved South Korean folk-pop duo Togeworl, before launching her solo career in 2013. She earned critical acclaim in 2020 when she took home two Korean Music Awards for her previous work.

    The album’s evocative title, *Exit to Nowhere*, references the pervasive uncertainty that shaped the years the record documents. Kim describes this period as wandering through a metaphorical “wasteland” while searching for a clear sense of direction.

    One of the album’s standout tracks, “Never Gonna Be Alone”, opens with a scene set at a wedding, unpacking the quiet paradox of feeling deeply isolated even while surrounded by celebrating crowds. Kim noted that this feeling grew more common as she entered her 30s and attended an increasing number of weddings from friends and peers. The song’s lush, warm string arrangement intentionally contrasts with the undercurrent of unease woven through its lyrics.

    Another track, “INSA” — named for the Korean word meaning “greeting” — features British rapper Bree Runway, and explores the rigid formality that defined Kim’s early interactions within the music industry. Kim opened up about feeling a persistent sense of alienation from the glamour and social circles that surround the entertainment world, explaining: “It wasn’t that I felt like one of them, but more this strange sense that I was somehow separate.”

    Kim drew inspiration for the album from a range of creators whose work similarly grapples with identity and personal transformation, including iconic South Korean novelist Yang Gui-ja, legendary American essayist Joan Didion, and Hayao Miyazaki’s celebrated Studio Ghibli animated film *Spirited Away*. For listeners who are also navigating uncharted territory and uncertain futures, Kim hopes her chronicle of self-discovery will resonate and feel familiar.

  • Ipswich sign Diop from Fulham

    Ipswich sign Diop from Fulham

    Championship winners Ipswich Town have bolstered their 2024-25 Premier League squad with a key defensive addition, confirming the signing of Morocco international center-back Issa Diop from London-based club Fulham for an undisclosed transfer fee. The 29-year-old, who brings more than five years of top-flight English football experience to the newly promoted side, has put pen to paper on a four-year contract that will keep him at Portman Road until the summer of 2030. Diop was part of Morocco’s historic 2022 World Cup run that saw the North African side become the first African nation to reach the tournament quarter-finals, making five appearances throughout their campaign, and has earned nine senior caps for his country to date, scoring one international goal. Diop’s career in English football began back in 2018, when he moved from French Ligue 1 side Toulouse to Premier League outfit West Ham United. He spent four seasons with the Hammers, making more than 100 appearances for the east London club, before completing a £15 million transfer to Fulham in 2022. Across two seasons at Craven Cottage, Diop turned out 96 times in all competitions for the Cottagers, but saw his first-team opportunities limited during the 2023-24 campaign, starting just eight Premier League matches. Speaking after completing his move to Suffolk, Diop expressed his enthusiasm for the next chapter of his professional journey. “I’m excited to take the next step in my career at Ipswich Town,” he said. “I know how big the club is and have enjoyed all of the conversations I have had before making the move. I know this is the right place for me. It has been a busy summer for me, representing Morocco at the World Cup, but I am proud to be joining Ipswich Town and am looking forward to meeting the staff, my team-mates and the supporters very soon.” This transfer marks Ipswich’s sixth senior incoming signing of the 2024 summer window, as manager Kieran McKenna continues to reshaping his squad ahead of their return to the top flight after a multi-year absence. The club has already been active in the market earlier this month, breaking their transfer record to sign Brazilian striker Emersonn from Toulouse for an approximate £26 million fee. Earlier this week, they secured a £20 million deal for Ghanaian winger Abdul Fatawu from Leicester City. The club has also made permanent signings of defender Cedric Kipre and forward Chuba Akpom, who both impressed during loan spells at Portman Road in the 2023-24 Championship-winning campaign, while goalkeeper Kayne van Oevelen joined from Dutch Eredivisie side FC Volendam earlier in the window. Diop’s 173 previous Premier League appearances with Fulham and West Ham add much-needed top-flight experience to Ipswich’s defensive unit, as the club prepares to compete against some of the best teams in English football in the upcoming season.

  • US hits Iranian island, says war cost at $37.5 bn

    US hits Iranian island, says war cost at $37.5 bn

    Escalating tensions between the United States and Iran entered a dangerous new phase this week, as U.S. forces carried out a missile strike on Iran’s Larak Island in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, just days after the Pentagon revealed the ongoing conflict has already cost American taxpayers $37.5 billion. The attack comes as President Donald Trump has pushed back against growing domestic political pressure to end the unpopular five-month hostilities, insisting Washington is “not finished” with its campaign.

    The strike on Larak Island, first reported by Iran’s Tasnim news agency Wednesday, left the full extent of damage still under investigation. It marks the latest in a sustained series of U.S. attacks on Iranian-held islands across the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz that have continued since hostilities resumed earlier this year. The U.S. military confirmed it had launched 11 consecutive nights of strikes against Iranian targets as of Tuesday, framing the operations as an effort to “further degrade Iran’s ability to threaten commercial shipping” in the critical waterway, through which roughly 20% of global oil supplies pass daily.

    The clash over the Strait of Hormuz has already derailed a preliminary diplomatic deal between the two nations, but top U.S. diplomat Marco Rubio reaffirmed Washington’s official stance Wednesday that the door remains open to a negotiated resolution. Speaking at a Southeast Asian foreign ministers’ meeting in Manila, Rubio emphasized, “We remain open to working it out in a negotiated way. But right now, they don’t seem to be serious about that.” He defended the latest U.S. strikes, arguing they were justified by Iran’s repeated attacks on commercial shipping in the strait and Tehran’s efforts to rebuild its missile and drone capabilities.

    Iran has pushed back against these claims, with foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei noting that quiet diplomatic exchanges through third-party mediators have continued despite the open conflict. He has also rejected U.S. accusations surrounding a suspected undeclared nuclear facility, calling Washington’s focus on Kolang Mountain (known as Pickaxe Mountain to Western officials) a fabricated pretext for further aggression. Located near Iran’s established Natanz nuclear complex, the underground site is suspected by Western intelligence agencies of housing a secret uranium enrichment operation – a claim Baqaei denies, saying “no nuclear activity is taking place” at the location.

    Trump has openly raised the possibility of targeting the Kolang Mountain site, a threat that has drawn sharp warnings of full-scale retaliation from Iran’s military leadership. The Khatam Al-Anbiya military command, quoted by state broadcaster IRIB, said any strike on the underground complex would be considered an expansion of the war, and promised Iran would target “all the interests of America, the allies and supporters” in response. Baqaei also accused the U.S. of violating international United Nations rules, and pointedly questioned the public absence of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi, who recently told the BBC that IAEA inspectors should already have access to the site and expect to gain entry soon to verify Iran’s highly enriched uranium stockpiles.

    The cross-border escalation has spread beyond Iran’s borders in recent days, as Tehran has pressed its offensive against U.S.-allied nations across the Gulf. On Wednesday, Kuwait’s army announced it had intercepted and engaged incoming Iranian drones, while Jordan confirmed it had shot down four Iranian missiles and an equal number of unmanned aerial vehicles. Air raid sirens sounded across Bahrain, and an AFP correspondent in the capital Manama reported hearing a large explosion. The Iranian military confirmed it had targeted U.S. assets in both Kuwait and Bahrain, including air defense systems, radar installations, and administrative buildings, while the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it also struck U.S. military bases in Jordan.

    The expanding conflict has also drawn in Iran’s Houthi allies in Yemen, who recently threatened to blockade Saudi Arabian ports in a new escalation of regional hostilities. Trump responded to the threat, saying he would “take care of” the rebel group if they followed through on the promise. While it remains unclear how the Houthis would implement a full blockade, the threat has already roiled global energy markets: Brent Crude, the global benchmark for oil prices, jumped 4.4% on Wednesday to top $95 a barrel for the first time in six weeks.

    Maritime intelligence firm Vanguard Tech reported that two commercial tankers – one flagged to Singapore and one to Liberia – already reversed course in the Red Sea this week after loading crude at Saudi Arabia’s Yanbu port, a sign of growing market jitters. If the Houthis carry out their blockade threat, it could disrupt Saudi Arabia’s ability to route oil exports around the Strait of Hormuz, triggering far broader disruptions to the global economy. The recent exchange of fire between Saudi forces and the Houthis marks the first direct clashes between the two sides in years, endangering a fragile 2022 truce that has held largely intact until the current U.S.-Iran conflict reignited regional tensions in late February.

    Domestically, the mounting cost of the war has put significant political pressure on Trump, just months ahead of November’s U.S. legislative elections. The conflict is unpopular even among key segments of Trump’s political base, and critics have repeatedly called attention to the staggering $37.5 billion price tag that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth confirmed earlier this week, as the administration seeks tens of billions of dollars in additional military funding for the campaign. Despite the pressure, Trump has refused to draw down U.S. involvement, telling reporters this week that “We’re not finished at all… we’re not leaving right now.”

  • Amnesty International says Pakistan strike on Kabul drug treatment center may be a war crime

    Amnesty International says Pakistan strike on Kabul drug treatment center may be a war crime

    A March Pakistani airstrike that destroyed a large civilian drug rehabilitation facility in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, leaving hundreds of civilians dead, must be probed as a potential war crime, global human rights watchdog Amnesty International has concluded following a months-long independent investigation.

    The attack, carried out on March 16 against the 2,000-bed Omid drug treatment center, has sparked sharp disagreement between the two neighboring countries over casualty numbers and the nature of the site. Afghan officials have put the death toll at roughly 400 civilians, while Pakistan has disputed that count and maintained its forces targeted a legitimate military installation storing weapons and ammunition. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) previously confirmed at least 269 civilian deaths and 122 injuries from the strike in an independent May assessment, noting the actual fatality figure is likely far higher. Afghan authorities held multiple mass funerals for victims in the weeks following the attack.

    Amnesty published its full investigative findings on Tuesday, outlining the rigorous verification process its researchers conducted to assess Pakistan’s claims. The team analyzed and authenticated more than 60 photos and videos—including footage released by the Pakistani military itself—reviewed more than 30 pre- and post-strike satellite images of the site, and conducted dozens of interviews with witnesses and local officials.

    In its final report, the rights group confirmed it found no conclusive evidence to back Pakistan’s assertions. None of the reviewed footage showed secondary explosions immediately after the airstrike, a key indicator that ammunition or explosive stockpiles were stored at the location that would detonate following an initial impact. The Omid center had operated openly as a drug addiction treatment facility for nearly a decade, sitting on land that previously formed part of a NATO military base near Kabul’s international airport.

    The deadly strike occurred against a backdrop of escalating cross-border hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan that began in early 2023 and intensified dramatically in February 2024, when Pakistan formally declared it was in “open war” with Afghan authorities. UNAMA data shows that between January 1 and March 31 of this year alone, cross-border violence killed 372 Afghan civilians and injured nearly 400 more. Multiple rounds of internationally mediated peace talks have so far failed to secure a lasting ceasefire between the two sides. As recently as late June, another Pakistani cross-border attack killed at least 28 civilians across three eastern Afghan provinces, UNAMA confirmed.

    Pakistan’s core accusation against Afghanistan is that the ruling Afghan Taliban, which seized power in 2021 following the withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition forces, harbors Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants that carry out deadly attacks inside Pakistani territory. The TTP, commonly known as the Pakistani Taliban, is organizationally separate from but militarily allied with the Afghan Taliban. Kabul has repeatedly denied Pakistan’s allegations of harboring anti-Pakistan militants.

    Amnesty’s investigation concluded the airstrike violated core tenets of international humanitarian law, which grants special protected status to medical facilities. The attack also broke the fundamental principles of distinction (separating civilian targets from military objectives), precaution (taking all feasible steps to avoid civilian harm), and proportionality (requiring that expected civilian harm does not outweigh anticipated military gains) that are designed to protect civilian populations during armed conflict.

    Isabelle Lassee, Amnesty International’s Acting Regional Director for South Asia, emphasized that the attack meets the legal threshold for a potential war crime. “Given the widely available information that the site had been used as a medical facility for more than a decade, this reflects a major failure in military planning by Pakistan that led to a significant loss of civilian life,” Lassee said. Immediately after the strike, Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claimed on social media platform X that Pakistani forces carried out precision strikes against military infrastructure, destroying technical support hubs and ammunition storage sites at two locations in Kabul.

    Amnesty confirmed it contacted Pakistan’s foreign ministry on July 9 to request details on any domestic investigation into the strike and any evidence supporting the government’s claim that the Omid center stored weapons and ammunition. As of the publication of Amnesty’s report, the organization had not received a response from Pakistani authorities.

  • FBI chief hold talks in Cambodia over closer security cooperation to combat online scam crimes

    FBI chief hold talks in Cambodia over closer security cooperation to combat online scam crimes

    PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA — In a major push to crack down on transnational cybercrime, FBI Director Kash Patel met Wednesday with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet to coordinate joint action against global online scam operations that steal billions of dollars from defrauded victims annually. The high-level meeting comes just days after a U.S.-Thailand co-hosted anti-scam summit in Bangkok that gathered delegates from nearly 20 countries and hundreds of regional law enforcement officers to address the growing crisis.

    Patel traveled to Phnom Penh from Bangkok, where he previously held talks with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul focused on deepening cross-border cooperation against scam networks and related transnational crimes including human trafficking and drug trafficking. The discussions centered on improving real-time intelligence sharing and information exchange between law enforcement agencies on both sides of the partnership, a key gap that criminal networks have long exploited.

    A recent United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report released Tuesday underscores the urgency of these collaborative efforts. The UNODC analysis projects that by 2025, annual losses from these organized scams will reach as high as $114 billion in the Asia-Pacific region alone. The report also warns that while authorities have carried out successful raids on large-scale industrial scam hubs concentrated in border regions of Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia, criminal groups have adapted by dispersing operations to new locations across the globe and downsizing their facilities to avoid detection.

    Southeast Asia has emerged as a global hotspot for cybercriminal activity in recent years, driven by uneven law enforcement capacity across the region, particularly in Cambodia and Myanmar. Beyond financial fraud, these scam operations are deeply intertwined with systemic human trafficking: thousands of foreign workers are lured to the region with false job promises, then forced into near-slavery to run pervasive schemes including romance scams and cryptocurrency fraud targeting victims in North America, Europe, and beyond.

    According to a statement from the U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh, curbing the proliferation of online scam operations in Cambodia remains a top policy priority for the U.S. government. The statement noted that Washington welcomes Hun Manet’s public commitment to tackling the crisis and has maintained close coordination with Cambodian authorities to advance shared anti-crime goals.

    Patel’s visit, the embassy added, reinforces the critical need for robust cross-border collaboration to defeat transnational cybercrime. Key priorities moving forward include stepping up efforts to hold high-level criminal kingpins accountable, strengthening information sharing to identify corrupt officials and scam compound owners who enable these networks, and delivering justice for thousands of victimized people around the world. The U.S. reaffirmed its full support for efforts to prosecute scam operators, their protectors and enablers, and any actors complicit in linked human trafficking crimes.

    In a post to his official Telegram channel Wednesday, Hun Manet announced that Cambodia will host a full international conference focused on combating cyber scams this coming September, marking a key next step in the country’s pledged crackdown on the criminal networks that have operated within its borders.

  • Morocco defender Issa Diop joins Ipswich for club’s return to Premier League

    Morocco defender Issa Diop joins Ipswich for club’s return to Premier League

    Just weeks after featuring in Morocco’s historic 2022 World Cup run, center back Issa Diop has sealed a cross-Premier League move, signing with newly promoted Ipswich Town from Fulham. The transfer was officially confirmed by Ipswich on Wednesday, with the 29-year-old defender putting pen to paper on a four-year contract. While the club has not publicly disclosed the transfer fee, multiple industry reports peg the deal at a reported £8.5 million, equal to roughly $11.4 million.

    Born in France, Diop built his early international career through France’s youth and Under-21 national teams, before a change to FIFA’s eligibility rules allowed him to switch his senior international allegiance to Morocco in March 2022, thanks to his family connections to the North African nation. That switch set the stage for his spot in Morocco’s groundbreaking World Cup squad, which became the first African nation to reach the tournament’s semi-finals.

    During Morocco’s six-game World Cup campaign, Diop started in five matches, including the dramatic round of 32 clash against the Netherlands. In that game, he scored a stoppage-time header to level the score, sending the match to penalties where Morocco ultimately upset the Dutch side to advance. Morocco’s run ended in the quarterfinals with a 2-0 defeat to Diop’s native France.

    The transfer to Ipswich marks the third Premier League club for Diop, who spent four seasons apiece at West Ham United and Fulham earlier in his professional career. He now joins an Ipswich side that earned promotion to the top flight of English football for the 2024-2025 season, bolstering their defensive lineup ahead of their return to top-tier competition.

  • US to announce deal allowing Saudi Arabia a nuclear programme, reports say

    US to announce deal allowing Saudi Arabia a nuclear programme, reports say

    In a move set to reshape nuclear dynamics across the Middle East, the Trump administration is preparing to announce a landmark 30-year civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia as early as Wednesday, multiple U.S. media outlets have reported.

    The framework of the deal, which has already secured presidential approval, would allow the Gulf kingdom to pursue domestic uranium enrichment after completing a joint feasibility study with U.S. partners. Unlike the 2009 U.S.-United Arab Emirates nuclear agreement that imposed strict bans on local enrichment and other key limitations, this new arrangement leaves the door open for Saudi Arabia to produce its own nuclear fuel for civilian energy production at a U.S.-built facility, ending its reliance on imported fuel.

    Industry analysts project the deal could generate billions of dollars in revenue for U.S. nuclear firms, which would lead construction and operation of the enrichment facility. While the agreement is framed as supporting civilian energy development, it has already sparked sharp criticism and concern from multiple quarters.

    Notably, the deal does not require Saudi Arabia to extend formal diplomatic recognition and normalize relations with Israel, a long-held foreign policy priority for every consecutive U.S. administration. Israeli nuclear experts and former government officials, representing Washington’s closest Middle Eastern ally, have warned that the framework could eventually put Saudi Arabia in a position to develop nuclear weapons. This warning echoes longstanding tensions around nuclear proliferation in the region, where the U.S. and Israel have cited preventing Iranian nuclear weapons development as a core national security goal – a claim Iran has repeatedly denied.

    Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addressed the kingdom’s nuclear posture publicly in 2018, telling CBS News that Riyadh had no plans to pursue a nuclear weapon, but would “follow suit as soon as possible” if Iran successfully developed a nuclear device.

    The terms of the agreement include a 10-year restriction: if Washington rejects the results of the joint enrichment study, Saudi Arabia will be barred from pursuing domestic enrichment independently or with third-party partners for a decade. Even with this safeguard, global nuclear non-proliferation advocacy groups are already preparing to oppose the deal, as their core mission centers on halting the spread of nuclear weapons technology worldwide.

    Following Wednesday’s expected announcement, the agreement will be sent to the U.S. Congress for review. Bipartisan opposition is expected among lawmakers, though Republicans retain control of both the House of Representatives and Senate, improving the deal’s odds of advancing. The White House has not yet issued an official comment on the reports, when contacted by the BBC.

  • Firefighters in central Spain battle huge wildfire during heat wave

    Firefighters in central Spain battle huge wildfire during heat wave

    On July 22, 2026, hundreds of firefighters and aerial water-bombing teams continued their battle against an unprecedented wildfire burning through rural central Spain’s Guadalajara province, a blaze already ranked as one of the largest the southern European nation has faced in modern history. As of Wednesday, the inferno had scorched more than 32,000 hectares (79,000 acres) of land, 90% of which lies within a protected national park, forcing the evacuation of 34 nearby villages.

    The emergency comes less than two weeks after a far deadlier wildfire ripped through a small coastal expat community in southern Spain, killing 13 people—including multiple foreign residents—in one of Spain’s deadliest wildfire events on record. Unlike that earlier blaze, no fatalities or critical injuries have been reported from the Guadalajara fire so far, a small relief for responding authorities.

    During an official visit to the fire-stricken town of Tamajón, a two-hour drive northeast of the Spanish capital Madrid, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez highlighted the clear link between rising global temperatures and the growing wildfire crisis facing the nation. “Year after year we clearly see how climate change kills and destroys wealth in our communities,” Sánchez told reporters on site. He emphasized that the threat of climate breakdown is not a partisan political issue, but a fact-backed scientific reality, and issued a call for all national political parties to join a unified cross-party pact to strengthen Spain’s climate action and wildfire preparedness.

    Sánchez also shared grim new data showing the accelerating scale of Spain’s 2026 wildfire season: the country has already recorded 22 major blazes (defined as fires burning more than 500 hectares) this year. The total area scorched by wildfires across Spain in 2026 is already four times the amount burned by this point in 2025, with more than 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) lost as of mid-July—already matching the full-year average recorded over the past decade.
    Spain’s Minister for the Ecological Transition, Sara Aagesen, confirmed that the Guadalajara fire is the largest wildfire ever recorded in the Castilla-La Mancha region, and one of the largest in the country’s recent history. Regional president of Castilla-La Mancha Emiliano García-Page noted that responding teams have successfully protected all residential properties across 40 villages in the fire’s path, and crews are aiming to bring the week-old blaze under full control by Friday. That timeline, however, is at growing risk from an incoming extreme heat wave that is already raising temperatures across the country.

    Spain’s national weather agency has placed Guadalajara and much of inland Spain under high temperature alerts, with the current heat wave peaking between Wednesday and Thursday. Forecasters predict temperatures will climb to nearly 40°C (104°F) in most inland areas, and could exceed 42°C (108°F) in parts of southern Spain’s Andalusia region. Like many Mediterranean nations, Spain is facing a perfect storm of wildfire conditions: extreme heat, persistent drought, low rainfall and gusty winds that allow small ignitions to spread rapidly into large, out-of-control infernos.

    Local officials have praised the tireless work of frontline firefighting teams. Miguel Ángel Moreno, mayor of the evacuated village Zarzuela de Jadraque, told Spain’s national broadcaster TVE that all 100 of the town’s residents were evacuated the previous Friday, with 14 residents taking shelter at a local Red Cross facility. While two local barns were destroyed in the blaze, firefighters managed to save every residential home in the village. “Besides the heroes who won the World Cup, we have other heroes who remain nameless,” Moreno said, comparing the firefighters to the nation’s recently victorious World Cup soccer squad. “(They) had to run from one side of the village to the other putting out fires.”

    Climate scientists have long warned that wildfire risk across southern Europe will grow more severe as the planet warms. Data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service confirms that Europe is warming faster than any other continent on Earth, with temperatures rising twice as quickly as the global average since the 1980s. Globally, 2025 was the third-hottest year ever recorded, bringing repeated extreme heat events across the continent. Researchers warn that climate change is intensifying the frequency and severity of heat waves and drought across southern and southeastern Europe, leaving the region far more vulnerable to destructive wildfires and public health crises.