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Family mourn British teenager who died in Greece

A devastating travel tragedy has unfolded in Greece, where a 17-year-old British teenager has lost his life after falling from a hotel balcony in the northern Athens suburb of Chalandri. The incident occurred at 5 a.m. local time, 3 a.m. British Summer Time, on July 3, according to early Greek media reports. Immediately following the accident, emergency responders rushed the critically injured teen to Athens’ Red Cross Hospital, where medical teams were unable to save his life.

In a moving statement released Friday through the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the teenager’s family opened up about their overwhelming grief at the sudden loss of their child. “It is not possible to put into words the shock and heartbreak we feel from the sudden loss of our beloved child,” the family said.

They remembered their son as a uniquely talented young man whose light touched everyone around him. “He was a deeply loved son, an exceptional guitarist and a friend to so many. Full of laughter, he was someone who brought joy wherever he went. He will be missed beyond words,” the statement added. “There is a space in this world that was uniquely his, one that can never be filled by anyone else. His warmth, his spirit, and the happiness he brought to others will never be forgotten.”

The family expressed their sincere gratitude to all those who have offered emotional and practical support during what they described as an “incredibly difficult time.” In an act of public care amid their own sorrow, they also issued a urgent advisory for other UK travelers visiting countries that participate in the European healthcare scheme: they urged all outbound British travelers to obtain a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC), a document that streamlines access to state-provided healthcare for UK citizens visiting participating nations.

At this stage, the teenager has not been publicly named to respect the family’s privacy. Greek law enforcement authorities have launched a formal investigation into the circumstances of the fall, which remains ongoing as officials work to establish a full account of the incident. The UK Foreign Office confirmed it is supporting the family and is in regular contact with local Greek authorities.

10 7 月, 2026
Global oil demand is dropping, but US drivers keep buying more gas

NEW YORK – The International Energy Agency (IEA) has projected that global oil demand will experience an annual decline in 2026, marking the first such drop since the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The projected contraction, estimated at 1 million barrels per day for the full year, stems from elevated energy prices and unevenly distributed supply disruptions rooted in the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.

The core of the supply disruption centers on the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical chokepoint for global oil and gas shipments. For more than three months, dozens of crude-laden tankers have remained stranded in the Persian Gulf, unable to traverse the waterway safely amid heightened hostilities between the two nations. Today, the strategic passage faces greater uncertainty than at the outbreak of the conflict, according to Jim Burkhard, vice president and head of crude oil research at S&P Global Energy. He noted that while Iran continues efforts to assert full control over the strait, the U.S. has failed to reestablish pre-war shipping norms, making a full return to baseline operations increasingly unlikely.

Recent demand data underscores the severity of the slowdown. Global average oil demand hit 97.9 million barrels per day in May 2026, a 5.3 million barrel per day drop from the same period one year prior. The steepest declines have been concentrated in Asia, a region heavily dependent on Middle Eastern energy imports. China alone accounts for a 1.5 million barrel per day reduction in demand – a 9% year-over-year drop, the largest of any major global economy.

China’s demand cutback stems from a deliberate policy decision to draw down its large strategic reserves rather than purchase crude at inflated market prices during the spring crisis, Burkhard explained. The country cut its crude import volumes by roughly 50 percent, temporarily halting additions to its strategic petroleum reserve that had previously averaged nearly 1 million barrels per day, according to Daniel Sternoff, senior fellow at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. The conflict has also accelerated existing demand trends tied to China’s rapid electric vehicle adoption, which is cutting into gasoline and diesel consumption. Sternoff projects that China could see a permanent reduction of between 500,000 and 600,000 barrels per day in road fuel demand from this transition alone.

Counter to the global trend, the United States has seen unexpected growth in gasoline consumption during the second quarter of 2026, even as average pump prices rose 50% above pre-war levels to top $4.50 per gallon of regular gasoline in May, AAA data shows. Analysts point to two key factors for this anomaly: the share of U.S. household income devoted to gasoline has trended downward for decades, meaning even large price increases have a muted impact on driving behavior for most consumers. Additionally, the ongoing shift from remote work back to in-office office commutes has increased overall travel demand, offsetting any pullback from price sensitivity. “Even though it’s a really political price that people pay a lot of attention to, if you are in the higher quintiles of income in the U.S., you might grumble about it, but you’re not really driving less just because of that increase in prices,” Sternoff said.

The conflict has also created a paradoxical dynamic in global oil pricing that has prevented the sharp price spikes many market observers initially predicted. A fragile ceasefire reached in June allowed stranded tankers to exit the Strait of Hormuz, flooding the market with additional crude and pushing prices lower. Even when tensions escalated again earlier this month, prices failed to spike, as the conflict has settled into a predictable “gray zone” that no longer shocks markets, according to Burkhard. Reduced overall global demand, led by China’s cutbacks, has also kept upward price pressure in check. Additional supply-side constraints have hit downstream markets: multiple Russian refineries have been knocked offline by Ukrainian drone strikes, and Middle Eastern refining capacity remains damaged from the wider regional conflict, leaving refined product prices for gasoline and diesel far more inflated than crude prices. “There’s this gush of supply of crude oil being made available to the market, and there’s simply less demand for that crude oil,” Burkhard summed up.

10 7 月, 2026
South African police arrest UK fugitive sought in alleged killings of his wife and 2 daughters

JOHANNESBURG — In a coordinated international law enforcement operation, South African police have apprehended a British citizen wanted by United Kingdom authorities for the alleged murder of his wife and two young children, law enforcement officials confirmed Friday.

Ndodana Mkhanyisi Tshuma, a British national with Zimbabwean origins, was taken into custody in Kensington, a quiet suburban district of Johannesburg, following an intelligence-driven joint operation that included both the South African Police Service and Interpol.

The manhunt for Tshuma was launched after the bodies of his family members were found at the family residence near Bedford, a town located just north of London. His victims are identified as 42-year-old Nothabo Zandile Tshuma, his wife, and their two minor daughters: 15-year-old Natalie and 5-year-old Nala.

Speaking on the arrest, acting National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Puleng Dimpane emphasized that the successful apprehension highlights the strong, ongoing cooperation between South African law enforcement and global policing bodies in hunting down cross-border fugitives. Dimpane made clear that South Africa will not tolerate becoming a refuge for individuals fleeing criminal justice.

“This arrest demonstrates that South Africa is not a safe haven for fugitives,” Dimpane stated. “Anyone who believes they can evade justice by fleeing to our country should know that the South African Police Service will work tirelessly with international law enforcement partners to trace, locate and arrest them.”

Brigadier Athlenda Mathe, a spokesperson for the South African Police Service, confirmed that legal teams are now moving forward with the formal extradition process alongside British authorities. While the U.K. and South Africa maintain a standing bilateral extradition treaty, local legal requirements mandate that all suspects arrested on South African soil must first appear in a domestic court before extradition can be finalized.

Sources familiar with the internal proceedings of the case note that the identity of Tshuma’s legal representation will be publicly disclosed once the case is called in court. Tshuma is scheduled to make his first court appearance at a South African courthouse this coming Monday.

10 7 月, 2026
Wanyonyi breaks 1,000m world record on debut in Monaco

The 2024 Monaco Diamond League meeting delivered a night of historic athletic milestones and thrilling competition on Friday, headlined by 21-year-old Kenyan middle-distance star Emmanuel Wanyonyi shattering a 25-year-old men’s 1000m world record on his first ever attempt at the rarely contested distance.

Wanyonyi, already the reigning Olympic and world 800m champion, crossed the finish line in a blistering time of 2:11.83, knocking 0.13 seconds off the previous record set by Kenyan compatriot Noah Ngeny back in 1999. Great Britain’s 2022 1500m world champion Jake Wightman pushed Wanyonyi all the way to the final stretch, ultimately taking second place with a new personal best of 2:12.77 that lifted him to fifth on the sport’s all-time 1000m rankings.

Algeria’s Olympic bronze medalist Djamel Sedjati claimed third, while Great Britain’s Ben Pattison finished fifth in the top-tier field. Speaking to reporters after his landmark win, Wanyonyi expressed overwhelming joy at the achievement but quickly downed speculation that he would target David Rudisha’s iconic 800m world record set at the 2012 London Olympics. “I don’t want to talk about the world record in the 800m. I first want to run fast and improve my personal best,” Wanyonyi said. “Let me keep quiet. Actions speak louder than words.”

Wightman, for his part, said he had entered the race hoping to pull off an upset against the unbeaten Wanyonyi. “I wished I could have surprised Wanyonyi, but I was nearly there. This was just a long 800, so I wanted to go through quickly and try and hang on for as long as I could,” the 31-year-old Briton explained.

The 1000m record was far from the only highlight of the evening’s competition at Stade Louis II. In the men’s high jump, 22-year-old British athlete Kimani delivered a strong performance on his Diamond League debut, clearing 2.30m to take second place behind Ukraine’s world and European indoor champion Oleh Doroshchuk, who won gold with a first-attempt clearance at 2.32m. India’s Sarvesh Kushare rounded out the podium with a 2.26m jump.

Botswana’s world 400m champion Collen Kebinatshipi set a new Diamond League record of 43.44 seconds to take victory in the men’s 400m, beating Americans Jacory Patterson and Rai Benjamin into second and third place respectively. He marked the win with a push-up celebration, a tribute to legendary fellow Botswana sprinter Isaac Makwala. Great Britain’s Matthew Hudson-Smith finished fourth in the race with a time of 44.22 seconds.

In the men’s 100m, the final race of the night, Jamaican world champion Oblique Seville held off American challenger Jordan Anthony to win in 9.88 seconds, with Cameroon’s Emmanuel Eseme taking third. Saint Lucia’s Olympic 100m champion Julien Alfred cemented her status as one of the fastest sprinters in history with a dominant win in the women’s 200m. Alfred crossed the line in 21.51 seconds, moving her up to third on the all-time women’s 200m rankings, behind only the legendary Florence Griffith Joyner’s 21.34 and Jamaican star Shericka Jackson’s 21.41. Adaejah Hodge of the British Virgin Islands and American Gabby Thomas took second and third respectively.

Swedish pole vault legend Armand Duplantis, the current world record holder, added another accolade to his resume by setting a new meeting record of 6.07m to take gold. France’s Baptiste Thiery and Australia’s Kurtis Marschall cleared 5.85m to claim second and third place. In other results, British Olympic triathlon champion Alex Yee finished 12th in the men’s 5000m, marking his first Diamond League appearance in seven years.

The athletics circuit will next move to London for the next Diamond League meeting scheduled for 18 July.

10 7 月, 2026
Injured Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois leaves World Cup quarterfinal loss to Spain

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – The 202X FIFA World Cup quarterfinal clash between Belgium and Spain delivered heartbreak for both Belgium and its star goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who was forced to exit the match in the second half due to a sudden muscular injury, opening the door for Spain to secure a 2-1 comeback win that booked their spot in the tournament semifinals.

The tension-filled match sat tied 1-1 when Courtois was subbed off for uncapped Belgian backup goalkeeper Senne Lammens in the 71st minute. The longtime Real Madrid shot-stopper was visibly distraught, leaving the pitch in tears on the Belgian sideline, having already made four crucial saves to keep his side in the match.

Courtois later explained the timeline of his injury, noting the first twinge of pain hit during a long clearance early in the second half. After pushing through several subsequent saves and reporting no issues stopping shots, he attempted a second long kick that worsened the muscular discomfort, later confirmed to be a thigh injury. He received on-pitch treatment during a mandatory hydration break and attempted to grit out five to 10 more minutes of play, explaining that he only faced pain when taking long kicks, not when stopping shots.

Ultimately, the pain did not subside enough for Courtois to continue, forcing Belgium’s coaching staff to turn to Lammens, a Manchester United goalkeeper who had not made a single appearance at the World Cup leading up to the high-stakes knockout match. The rookie backup could not hold a long-range strike from Spain’s Pau Cubarsí in the 88th minute, and Spain’s Mikel Merino converted the loose rebound to score the game-winning goal that sent Spain through to a semifinal matchup against France.

Despite the devastating end to Belgium’s tournament run, Courtois offered full support to his young replacement, saying he embraced Lammens after the substitution and praised the goalkeeper’s potential, noting that the high-pressure experience would only help him grow as a player.

This World Cup run marked a historic milestone for Courtois: his 21 tournament appearances put him second on the all-time list for World Cup appearances by a goalkeeper, trailing only Germany’s legendary Manuel Neuer. Across Belgium’s five matches in this year’s tournament, Courtois recorded 10 total saves and conceded just five goals. He was also on the pitch when Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere scored the first goal Spain conceded across the entire World Cup, breaking a 650-minute shutout streak held by Spanish starting goalkeeper Unai Simón, after Spain’s Fabián Ruiz opened the scoring in the 30th minute.

Reflecting on Belgium’s run despite the painful quarterfinal exit, Courtois expressed pride in his nation’s performance. “We are a small country of not even 12 million people that on big tournaments are showing amazing things,” he said.

10 7 月, 2026
Brutal heat wave forecast for western US this weekend

The U.S. National Weather Service issued a formal warning Friday that a widespread, intensely powerful heat wave will descend on drought-stricken western states over the coming weekend, bringing dangerously high temperatures that could break long-standing all-time heat records across the region.

A expanding heat dome – a stationary high-pressure system that traps hot air close to the ground – will spread southward and eastward from the Pacific Northwest across the northern Great Plains, with forecast models projecting peak temperatures could reach 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) in multiple areas by Sunday.

The NWS warned that the combination of blistering daytime high temperatures and unusually warm overnight lows that offer little chance for relief will drive rapidly increasing heat stress across the region, pushing the agency’s HeatRisk index to widespread major levels and extreme levels in local hotspots. The “extreme” classification is the highest category on the NWS’ risk scale, meaning dangerous heat conditions that can threaten the health of any individual without access to consistent cooling and adequate hydration. Regional power grids are also bracing for heavy strain as residents run air conditioning continuously to beat the heat.

Climate scientists say this extreme heat event is far from a random weather event, shaped heavily by decades of human-caused climate change. Marc Alessi, a science fellow at the Union of Concerned Scientists, told Agence France-Presse that today’s heat events are unfolding in a fundamentally altered global climate system. “Right now, every ocean basin on the planet is experiencing marine heat waves, which are releasing massive amounts of extra heat into the atmosphere,” Alessi explained. “This is reshaping global weather patterns and creating conditions that produce these completely unprecedented heat events.”

Alessi added that a developing strong El Niño event in the equatorial Pacific is also contributing to the formation of the western U.S. heat dome. “We are already seeing dramatic warming of sea surface temperatures in the central Pacific,” he noted. This warm water alters how storm energy moves from the tropics to the mid-latitudes, which in turn shifts the jet stream in a pattern that allows the heat dome to strengthen and stall over the western United States.

This weekend’s heat wave comes on the heels of similar extreme events that baked the central and eastern U.S. just last week, following major heatwaves that swept across Europe earlier this summer. A recent analysis from the international research group World Weather Attribution confirmed that the previous deadly hot spell that hit the U.S. during its 250th Independence Day celebrations would have been virtually impossible to occur without the influence of human greenhouse gas emissions driving climate change.

Beyond the direct health risks of extreme heat, the hot, dry conditions are also set to dramatically increase wildfire risk across the already parched West. Most of the western U.S. is already facing conditions ranging from abnormal dryness to severe multi-year drought, and hot, gusty winds will create ideal conditions for fast-spreading wildfires. Heat domes also spawn dry thunderstorms, where rain evaporates completely before reaching the ground, leaving lightning strikes that can easily ignite new blazes across dry vegetation. A risk assessment from the U.S. National Interagency Fire Center identifies Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming as facing particularly elevated wildfire danger this weekend.

10 7 月, 2026
Belgium finally ends Unai Simón’s 650-minute World Cup shutout streak in quarterfinals

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – For months of World Cup play across two tournaments, Unai Simón turned Spain’s goalmouth into an impenetrable fortress that no opposing attacker could breach. That extraordinary reign finally ended in Friday’s quarterfinal clash, when Belgium ended the Spanish goalkeeper’s record-breaking 650-minute scoreless streak, a run unmatched in the history of men’s World Cup competition.

The breakthrough came in the 41st minute of the tightly contested match, as Charles De Ketelaere positioned himself perfectly between Spanish defender Pau Cubarsi and the goal to nod a pinpoint cross from Timothy Castagne into the back of the net, leveling the score at 1-1. With this goal, Belgium made history as the first squad to find the back of the net against La Roja at the 2024 World Cup, snapping Spain’s run of six consecutive clean sheets at the tournament.

Simón’s record-breaking streak traces its roots back to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, when he entered Spain’s group stage match against Japan in the second half with the team trailing 2-1. The run carried through to the final round of the 2022 tournament, where Spain played a full 90 minutes of regular time to a 0-0 draw with Morocco before the North African side advanced on penalties.

When World Cup play resumed this year, the shutout streak continued with an unexpected 0-0 stalemate against Cape Verde in Spain’s opening group stage match. From there, Simón and Spain’s defense reeled off four consecutive full-match shutouts to propel La Roja through the knockout rounds and into the quarterfinals. It was during Spain’s 3-0 victory over Austria in the opening knockout round that Simón officially claimed the record, surpassing the previous mark of 517 consecutive scoreless minutes set by Italy’s legendary goalkeeper Walter Zenga on home soil at the 1990 World Cup. Heading into the halftime break against Belgium on Friday, the 29-year-old Spanish shot-stopper had only faced two total shots on the day, a testament to both his quality and the strength of Spain’s defensive unit ahead of him.

10 7 月, 2026
Belgium’s Charles De Ketelaere ends Spain’s World Cup shutout run, teams even 1-1 at halftime

INGLEWOOD, Calif. – In a dramatic first half of the second 2024 FIFA World Cup quarterfinal match at SoFi Stadium on Friday, Charles De Ketelaere’s 41st-minute header ended Spain’s record-breaking 650-minute shutout streak across World Cup play, leaving the two European sides locked in a 1-1 draw heading into the halftime break.

Spain, which entered the quarterfinal after holding its opponents scoreless through five consecutive matches at this year’s tournament, struck first in the 30th minute through midfielder Fabián Ruiz. The opening goal capped a sequence of sharp build-up play on the right flank: young winger Lamine Yamal and fullback Pedro Porro worked the ball forward to Dani Olmo, whose initial on-target shot was parried away by Belgian goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois. The rebound fell directly into the path of Ruiz, who fired a powerful shot into the net to record his first goal of the 2024 World Cup.

Ruiz’s opening strike marked a notable win for Spanish head coach Luis De La Fuente, who made a surprise tactical tweak to his starting lineup by starting Ruiz in place of regular starter Pedri. De La Fuente’s side has remained unbeaten in international play since March 2023, and had not conceded a single goal across all of its World Cup play dating back to the 2022 Qatar World Cup – a 650-minute shutout streak that set a new all-time tournament record, until De Ketelaere’s equalizer.

The Belgian forward, who notched two goals in the Red Devils’ 4-1 dominant win over co-hosts the United States earlier this week, broke through after powering past 17-year-old Spanish defender Pau Cubarsí to meet a cross from Timothy Castagne, nodding the ball into the net to level the score. Before De Ketelaere’s goal, Belgium had failed to produce any clear, high-quality scoring chances in the opening 40 minutes of the match.

The match already faced late disruption even before kickoff, when Belgian captain Youri Tielemans suffered an injury during pre-match warmups and was forced to withdraw from the starting lineup. He joins key midfielder Amadou Onana on the sidelines for Belgium, though star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne was able to recover from injury and retain his place in the starting eleven.

The winner of this tightly contested quarterfinal will book a spot in the World Cup semifinal, where they will face tournament favorite France next Tuesday in the Dallas area.

10 7 月, 2026
Trump agrees to more Iran talks but insists truce is over

Fresh cross-border strikes between the United States and Iran have thrown a fragile months-long truce into chaos, even as US President Donald Trump confirmed Friday he has accepted Iran’s request to resume diplomatic negotiations between the two long-standing adversaries. The new flare-up of violence, which marked a second consecutive day of exchanged attacks on Thursday, comes just three weeks after Washington and Tehran signed a landmark agreement designed to cement their temporary ceasefire into a lasting regional peace, raising urgent fears of a return to full-scale open conflict.

Trump broke his latest announcement via his Truth Social platform Friday, writing, “The Islamic Republic of Iran has asked us to continue ‘talks.’ We have agreed to do so, but the United States has stated to them, in no uncertain terms, that the Cease Fire is OVER!” This marks the second time Trump has publicly declared the ceasefire defunct; he first made the claim earlier this week during the NATO summit, where he dismissed diplomatic engagement with Tehran as “just a waste of time dealing with them.”

To date, US and Iranian negotiating teams have completed one round of direct talks in Switzerland following the signing of their initial memorandum of understanding, alongside indirect negotiations hosted by mediator Qatar. However, no tangible diplomatic breakthrough has been announced since the early rounds of discussions. No direct talks have been held between the two sides since last month, but Iranian state media confirmed a Qatari mediation delegation arrived in Tehran this week after the latest exchange of strikes.

Despite this week’s tensions – which include Iran’s claim it attacked US assets in the Persian Gulf and Qatar’s public accusation that Tehran targeted one of its liquefied natural gas tankers in the strategic Strait of Hormuz – Doha remains committed to pushing for continued diplomacy. Iran has denied any involvement in the attack on the Qatari tanker. According to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency, the Qatari delegation’s visit is focused on shoring up Doha’s mediation role in the wake of Tuesday’s clashes, when Qatar condemned the alleged assault as an “unacceptable attack.”

Pakistan, another key mediator in the conflict, also joined diplomatic outreach Friday: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a call with Qatar’s emir to discuss the recent escalation, per a statement from Sharif’s office, and later spoke separately with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian to urge Tehran to protect the “hard-earned peace” that had been forged, Sharif announced on the social platform X.

Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani emphasized in a call with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty that “the need for all parties to commit to dialogue and diplomacy” and to honor the terms of the original US-Iran memorandum of understanding, according to Qatar’s foreign ministry. Abdelatty’s ministry in Cairo echoed the call, saying the Egyptian diplomat pushed for an immediate “return to the negotiating table.”

Not all Iranian officials have signaled openness to de-escalation, however. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with Washington, struck a defiant tone in comments carried by Iran’s ISNA news agency. “Ending the war is a priority for the countries of the world, but everyone must know that this confrontation will never end with Iran’s surrender,” Ghalibaf said, adding that Iranians are “fully prepared to defend ourselves.”

The current conflict traces its origins to late February, when the United States and Israel launched a massive surprise offensive against Iran that killed much of Tehran’s top senior leadership, including long-time supreme leader Ali Khamenei. Iran retaliated by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz – the global chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s total oil and liquefied natural gas supplies pass – and launching strikes against Israeli and US interests across the Gulf region. The war spilled over into Lebanon when the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah launched rocket attacks on Israel, prompting a full Israeli ground invasion into Lebanese territory.

A ceasefire agreement halted large-scale fighting on April 8, but sporadic outbreaks of violence have persisted ever since, most tied to long-running disputes over the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran has demanded full control over the waterway and has pushed to implement transit fees for commercial ships passing through, a right it did not hold before the war. While the strait includes territorial waters from both Iran and Oman, international law bars the two nations from blocking commercial passage or imposing tolls on transiting vessels.

Tensions boiled over again this week after the US and Qatar accused Iran of targeting commercial tankers in the strait. The US responded with airstrikes against dozens of Iranian targets on Wednesday and Thursday, and Iran announced it retaliated with missile attacks on US military bases across the Gulf. Jordan also confirmed it shot down incoming missiles that entered its airspace amid the exchange.

By Friday evening, no new strikes had been reported in the Gulf region, but Tehran doubled down on its promise of retaliation for any future attacks. “Any attack on infrastructure will be retaliated against, and the criminal Zionist regime responsible for these atrocities will not be safe from the response of our fighters,” said Mohammad Bagher Zolghadr, head of Iran’s top security body, in a statement carried by Iranian state television. On Thursday, Tehran accused the US of intentionally targeting civilian infrastructure including railway bridges, labeling the US strikes a “gross war crime.”

10 7 月, 2026
Nearly 50 abducted pupils, teachers rescued in Nigeria

In a major breakthrough that brings an end to a 56-day hostage crisis that sparked national outcry, Nigerian authorities have successfully rescued 46 abducted schoolchildren and teachers kidnapped in a rare mass attack on educational institutions in the country’s southwest, the presidency confirmed Friday. The abduction, which was carried out by gunmen identified by the Nigerian military as Boko Haram jihadists, took place on May 15 at three schools located in the rural agrarian communities of Esiele and Yawota in Oyo State, on the boundary of the expansive Old Oyo National Park. What made this incident particularly alarming was that it shattered long-held assumptions about the security of southwest Nigeria, a region long regarded as one of the country’s most stable, even as Nigeria grapples with persistent interlinked security crises ranging from ransom kidnappings to Islamist insurgency across other parts of the nation. Mass school abductions have been a common tactic of insurgent groups operating in Nigeria’s restive northern states for years, but such large-scale attacks have historically been extremely rare in the southern part of the country, so this event stoked widespread fears that Islamist violence was expanding into a new, more populous region of the nation. The abduction quickly escalated into a major national political and social issue: it triggered widespread public protests, a month-long strike by teachers across Oyo State, and widespread condemnation from national and international leaders. President Bola Tinubu announced the successful rescue in an official statement, expressing profound relief at the outcome of the joint operation carried out by military, police, and intelligence units. The operation not only freed the hostages but also neutralized several of the terrorists responsible for the abduction and apprehended eight additional suspects, according to the president. The news of the rescue was first shared publicly by Tinubu’s spokesman Bayo Onanuga on the social media platform X, where he also published photographs of several of the freed children. Speaking after the rescue, Onanuga confirmed that the kidnappers had demanded the Nigerian government release a jailed, prosecuted member of their network as a condition for freeing the hostages. Defence Minister Christopher Musa had noted earlier this week that the abductors were using the captured pupils and teachers as political leverage to pressure the government into releasing detained insurgent commanders, and had threatened to kill all hostages if security forces launched an assault on their hideout. While full details of how the rescue operation was executed have not yet been released, Onanuga explicitly ruled out any prisoner exchange or compromise, stating clearly that there was “no quid pro quo” in securing the hostages’ freedom. In a video released by the presidency, one of the freed teachers publicly thanked President Tinubu and the security forces for their work. “We understand your commitment to our safety and we appreciate all you did for us,” she said. “Security operatives tried so much and that is why we are still alive right now.” Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde announced that authorities’ immediate focus moving forward will be reuniting the freed hostages with their families and providing specialized rehabilitation support to help them process the trauma of their 56 days in captivity. Tragically, the successful rescue in Oyo comes amid ongoing uncertainty for another group of kidnapped Nigerian schoolchildren: on the same day as the Oyo abduction, more than 40 pupils – some as young as two years old – were kidnapped from schools in Borno State in northeast Nigeria, and they remain in insurgent captivity. Boko Haram has a decades-long history of using mass school abductions as a tactic of terror to destabilize the Nigerian government. The group’s 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok Secondary School in Borno State became a global cause célèbre, drawing international attention to the threat of Islamist insurgency in the region. A wave of large-scale school kidnappings in late 2020, including the abduction of two dozen schoolgirls in Kebbi State and nearly 300 students and teachers in Niger State, renewed international scrutiny of Nigeria’s ongoing security challenges and the government’s ability to protect vulnerable civilian communities, particularly students.

10 7 月, 2026