Global Pulse

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  • Iran warns of ‘faster, heavier, more painful response’ to US attacks

    Iran warns of ‘faster, heavier, more painful response’ to US attacks

    A week of escalating open conflict between the United States and Iran has sent ripples through global energy markets and heightened fears of a wider regional confrontation, after a six-week ceasefire formally expired last month and fighting reignited rapidly. The latest cycle of violence sparked last Sunday, when US forces resumed targeted strikes against Iranian assets just days after the truce ended — breaking a period of relative calm that had failed to translate into lasting diplomatic progress after six months of ongoing war that began in February.

    On Saturday, US Central Command (Centcom) publicly released combat footage documenting recent US strikes on oil tankers linked to Iran. The strike operation came one day after Washington confirmed it had targeted the vessels in retaliation for Iranian attacks on US warships operating in regional waters. The BBC has reached out to Centcom for additional detail on the strikes, but no further comment has been provided as of publication.

    Top Iranian officials have issued sharp, urgent warnings in response to the US actions, promising severe retaliation as tensions spike. Iran’s top nuclear and diplomatic negotiator has cautioned that any further US attacks will be met with “a faster, heavier, and more painful response” that will reshape the conflict. Speaking Sunday through Iranian state media, Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf emphasized that Washington must recognize “before it is too late” that the “rules of the game have changed” amid the escalating hostilities.

    In a separate development reported by Iranian state media Sunday, the Iranian Navy claimed it had attacked a US remote-controlled unmanned vessel that attempted to enter Iranian territorial waters near the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz. Centcom spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins rejected the assertion outright, telling the Associated Press that the claim from Iranian state media is “a total lie.”

    US leaders have doubled down on their own aggressive rhetoric in response to Iranian warnings. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth issued a blunt threat via social media Saturday, stating: “It’s simple: if Iran shoots at US ships, we will destroy (and sink) their oil tankers.” US President Donald Trump, who is facing political pressure ahead of November’s midterm elections tied to soaring domestic energy costs, has downplayed the duration of the renewed conflict, claiming this week that the expanded fighting will not last “too long” — a repeated talking point he and his administration have used since the war began six months ago.

    Months of bilateral negotiations between Washington and Tehran have failed to produce a durable ceasefire or comprehensive peace agreement, and there are currently few indicators that a new diplomatic breakthrough is imminent. The 40-kilometer Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most critical chokepoint for global oil and natural gas exports, has remained effectively closed to most commercial traffic since the start of the war, giving Iran significant strategic leverage over global energy markets. Tehran has repeatedly stated it will not cede partial control over the waterway, while Trump has insisted the strait must remain “open” and has deployed US military assets to assist commercial vessels navigating the southern alternate route.

    The closure and ongoing conflict around the strait has already driven a sharp spike in global energy prices, creating political headwinds for Trump ahead of the November midterms. As of Friday, the average retail price of one gallon of diesel in the US hit $5.85, a massive jump from the $3.71 average recorded one year prior. On Sunday, US Energy Secretary Chris sought to ease market and public anxiety, telling CNN that approximately 9 million barrels of oil are now moving through the strait daily, when combined with volumes moving through regional overland pipelines. Wright noted that current flows are “probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict levels,” which could help ease upward pressure on global energy prices. In an additional interview with ABC This Week Sunday, Wright added that US consumers can expect gas prices to begin declining as peak summer travel demand fades following the upcoming Labor Day holiday.

  • Jamaica to hand slavery reparations petition to King Charles

    Jamaica to hand slavery reparations petition to King Charles

    On an upcoming official visit to the United Kingdom, a Jamaican government delegation headed by Culture Minister Olivia Grange will deliver a landmark legal petition on slavery reparations to King Charles III, opening a new formal chapter in the island nation’s decades-long campaign for accountability for historic colonial harm.

    As the current head of state of Jamaica, King Charles will be asked to formally refer three critical legal questions to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC), Jamaica’s highest appellate court. The questions center on three core points: whether the transatlantic enslavement of African people in Jamaica was lawful under historic English law, whether the practice violated existing international legal standards, and whether the United Kingdom holds a current legal obligation to provide reparations for the harms endured.

    Crucially, the petition itself does not demand immediate financial payments, but instead seeks a formal legal ruling that Grange says could clear the path for a long-overdue resolution for the centuries of violent abuse inflicted on enslaved African ancestors. Unlike popular misconceptions, King Charles has no personal discretionary power to accept or reject the referral request, a fact confirmed by coordination between Buckingham Palace and Jamaica’s Governor General to ensure the petition is properly processed through established constitutional channels.

    Grange outlined the stakes of the step in comments to media, noting that once the JCPC delivers its response to the three questions, Jamaican officials will map out the next phase of the campaign. She also highlighted a little-known historic context that strengthens the nation’s case: when the British Empire abolished chattel slavery across most of its territories in 1833, the British government issued £20 million in compensation to enslavers for the loss of their “property” — a debt that the British public only finished paying off in 2015.

    “Up to 2015, Britain was paying the slave masters, because we were being considered property,” Grange said. “The question really should be: if in modern times we’re still paying back the slave masters for the property that was our people, our ancestors, for property that was because of the abolition of slavery, then why shouldn’t we be pursuing some remedy at this time?”

    Beyond the reparations petition, Grange’s UK agenda includes a high-profile meeting with leadership at the British Museum to advance long-running negotiations over the repatriation of cultural artifacts looted from Jamaica during the colonial era. “They are priceless, they are significant to the story of Jamaica and we are working to bring them home,” Grange said of the contested items.

    Buckingham Palace has signaled a cooperative approach to the petition, echoing King Charles’ long-stated public position on addressing the legacy of slavery. A Palace spokesperson noted: “His Majesty has on many occasions expressed his personal and wholehearted commitment to promoting greater understanding around the issue of slavery and finding ways to address historic wrongs for the benefit of communities today.” In a 2024 public address, the King went further, calling on global leaders to commit to “finding creative ways to right inequalities that endure” stemming from colonialism.

    The current push for reparations comes nearly a decade after a previous British government led by then-Prime Minister David Cameron rejected all calls for reparations during a 2015 visit to Jamaica. While Cameron described slavery as “abhorrent in all its forms,” he argued that Jamaica should “move on from this painful legacy and continue to build for the future,” a position that drew widespread criticism from reparations campaigners across the Caribbean.

  • Iran threatens South Korean assets if Seoul joins Hormuz mission

    Iran threatens South Korean assets if Seoul joins Hormuz mission

    Tensions are rising across the Persian Gulf region after a senior Iranian academic and policy figure, Mohammad Marandi, issued a stark warning to South Korea: any participation in the US-led campaign against Iran will brand Seoul as an enemy of Tehran, and open South Korean commercial and military assets across the Middle East to retaliatory strikes.

    Marandi made the comments during an appearance on Al Mayadeen’s current affairs program *The Grand Standoff*, focusing specifically on ongoing discussions in Seoul about joining international efforts to assert freedom of navigation through the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint that carries a huge share of the world’s daily energy shipments. He emphasized that Iranian retaliation would not be limited to military targets alone, extending to all South Korean assets located in neighboring Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

    “If the South Koreans participate in this war against Iran, Iran will see it as the enemy,” Marandi stated. “Tehran would seek to destroy whatever assets South Korea has in this region. The Koreans are very vulnerable to Iran, and Iran can hurt them very badly.”

    Marandi downplayed the military impact of any potential South Korean deployment, dismissing Seoul’s contribution as strategically irrelevant to the broader standoff. “What is a ship or two from South Korea going to do? It’s foolish,” he said. Even so, he stressed that any level of participation would carry severe consequences, noting that economic assets across the region would be just as vulnerable as military installations to Iranian action.

    The warning comes as South Korea’s government weighs multiple options for a potential military contribution to the Strait of Hormuz initiative, with no final decision reached as of yet, according to Seoul’s presidential office. Officials confirmed that broad discussions have been held across a range of possible roles, from frontline combat participation to non-combat support and search operations, but no commitment has been finalized. “Please be advised that nothing has been decided yet concerning actual contributions,” the presidential office said in a statement reported by Al Jazeera.

    Local South Korean media and international outlets have outlined the deployments under consideration, including a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, a naval logistics support vessel, and a navy explosive ordnance disposal team. Any deployment of military personnel requires a multi-layer approval process in South Korea: review by the National Security Council, cabinet approval, and a final vote in the National Assembly. This requirement was reaffirmed by South Korea’s defense minister in 2019, when the government expanded an existing anti-piracy deployment from Somalia to waters near the strait, with any substantial change to the mission requiring parliamentary consent.

    South Korea finds itself caught between mounting pressure from Washington and its own heavy economic dependence on the Strait of Hormuz. US President Donald Trump has publicly criticized Seoul for failing to back the US campaign against Iran, linking the disagreement to broader frictions in the US-South Korea alliance. For South Korea, the strait is a critical energy lifeline: in 2023 (the most recent full year of data at the time of the report), 61 percent of the country’s crude oil imports and 54 percent of its naphtha imports passed through the waterway, leaving the nation with significant economic exposure to any escalation of tensions in the region.

  • Dozens feared trapped in collapsed building in Delhi

    Dozens feared trapped in collapsed building in Delhi

    A catastrophic building collapse in a residential neighborhood of the Indian capital New Delhi has left at least one person dead and triggered an urgent, large-scale rescue operation, with dozens of students feared trapped beneath the rubble, multiple local and international outlets have confirmed.

    The five-story building, known as Hostel Daze, crumbled at approximately 1:30 PM local time on Sunday in the Satya Niketan area of south-west Delhi, just a short distance from the main Delhi University campus. Eyewitness accounts shared with local media outlets suggest that up to 50 people were inside the structure when it collapsed, a number made higher by the fact that no university classes were held Sunday, leaving most student residents in their rooms.

    As of the latest updates, six people have been pulled alive from the debris, while two survivors remain in critical condition, according to NDTV, which cited official statements from Delhi Police. A local legislative assembly member at the disaster site confirmed that several trapped students have managed to place emergency calls to rescuers from beneath the rubble. Eyewitnesses also report that a second adjacent building partially collapsed alongside the hostel, prompting local authorities to evacuate the adjacent structure as a precautionary measure, according to Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta.

    Gupta emphasized in a statement on-site that every available resource is being deployed to extract trapped survivors safely. Initial investigations into the cause of the collapse point to unauthorized and poorly executed construction work in the building’s basement. Delhi Police officials note the building was only 40 to 50 years old, far younger than many standing structures in the area, but a local shop owner told Indian news agency ANI that the leaseholder had recently carried out basement excavation work to expand usable space and boost rental income.

    “They carried out work to strengthen the upper floors of the building, but left the supporting pillars in the lower section severely weakened,” the shop owner explained, adding that several construction workers carrying out the excavation are also among those missing and trapped. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) has issued a formal demand for a full, transparent investigation into the incident, calling for any individual found responsible for safety negligence to be held legally accountable. “Negligence that endangers the lives of students and ordinary citizens will not be tolerated under any circumstances,” the union said. Delhi Police have confirmed they are currently searching for the building’s owner to question them as part of the ongoing investigation.

  • Building collapse in New Delhi kills 1 and traps others

    Building collapse in New Delhi kills 1 and traps others

    A devastating structural collapse has struck a densely populated residential neighborhood in the Indian capital, leaving at least one casualty and an undetermined number of people trapped beneath rubble, official confirmed Sunday.

    The incident unfolded in Satya Niketan, a bustling neighborhood located steps from one of Delhi University’s main campuses. The area is a popular hub for private student housing, and the fallen five-story building was operating as a boys’ hostel at the time of the collapse.

    While government authorities have not released an official count of how many people remain unaccounted for, India’s national news wire Press Trust of India has reported that dozens of residents lived in the building. Local legislator Anil Sharma shared that emergency responders have already pulled multiple survivors from the debris, and that rescuers remain in communication with trapped individuals who have been able to place emergency calls for help.

    Multimedia teams of police officers, firefighters, and specialists from India’s National Disaster Response Force have launched a large-scale search and rescue operation. Heavy earthmoving equipment has been brought to the site to clear tons of collapsed concrete and building material, allowing first responders to reach trapped pockets of the rubble more quickly.

    As of Sunday’s latest updates, at least two survivors have been transported to local hospitals and are currently listed in critical condition.

    Investigators have not yet confirmed the root cause of the collapse. However, structural failures are a well-documented recurring hazard across India during the annual June-to-September monsoon season. Heavy, sustained downpours during this period often penetrate and weaken the foundations of aging, poorly maintained buildings, increasing the risk of sudden collapse.

  • Australia beats Turkey for 2nd win at Women’s Basketball World Cup, US plays Italy later

    Australia beats Turkey for 2nd win at Women’s Basketball World Cup, US plays Italy later

    BERLIN – The Australian women’s national basketball team, nicknamed the Opals, secured its spot in the final phase of the Women’s Basketball World Cup on Sunday, powered by Ezi Magbegor’s standout 21-point performance in an 87-71 physical victory over Turkey.

    Turkey got off to a rocky start, falling into an immediate 8-0 deficit just minutes into the opening quarter. But a well-timed timeout allowed the side to regroup, and the team fought back to grab a 15-14 lead shortly after. Turkey’s advantage would not hold, however; the Opals quickly rallied to close the first quarter with a 21-15 advantage, and never surrendered the lead for the remainder of the matchup.

    Sevgi Uzun carried Turkey’s offensive effort, finishing the game with a team-high 24 points. In the third quarter, Turkey’s Goksen Fitik suffered an apparent right ankle injury and was forced to leave the game, but she made a successful return to the court in the fourth quarter to help her team mount a late comeback push.

    This year’s Australian roster features seven players making their first appearance at the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup. The squad has also had to overcome pre-tournament adversity: team captain Sami Whitcomb, who currently plays for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, was forced to withdraw from the competition entirely due to a persistent knee injury that had not fully healed.

    With two wins already under their belt, the Opals have guaranteed themselves at minimum a spot in the knockout playoffs of the tournament’s final phase. Up next for Australia is a pivotal group stage showdown on Monday against European champion Belgium, a game that is widely expected to determine which team claims the group’s top spot and advances directly to the tournament quarterfinals.

    Sunday’s matchday schedule featured additional key group stage action across the tournament. Belgium was set to take on Puerto Rico in its second group game later in the day, while defending powerhouse the United States faced off against Italy. Three of the U.S. team’s rising young stars – Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers – were looking to extend the program’s historic 31-game winning streak at the World Cup to 32. The U.S. has not dropped a game at the tournament since a semifinal defeat back in 2006, a 18-year undefeated run that cements the country’s status as the team to beat.

    In another Sunday matchup, China took on the Czech Republic, with both sides entering the game still searching for their first win of the 2024 Women’s Basketball World Cup. China’s roster features the 7-foot-3 towering center Zhang Ziyu, who has been one of the most talked-about young players of this year’s tournament ahead of the matchup.

  • Months after Venezuela earthquakes, a family refuses to give up search for their missing relative

    Months after Venezuela earthquakes, a family refuses to give up search for their missing relative

    Ten weeks have passed since two powerful back-to-back earthquakes ripped through coastal Venezuela, leaving widespread destruction, thousands dead, and a bitter rift between desperate families and the nation’s government over unaccounted-for missing people. For the Molina family, the tragedy has become a grueling, self-funded fight for answers, as they comb through the rubble-strewn streets of La Guaira — the hardest-hit region just north of capital Caracas — in search of 18-year-old Andrés Molina, who has been missing since the disaster struck on June 24.

    On a recent Saturday at 8 a.m., Antonella Molina, Andrés’ aunt, her 18-year-old nephew Pedro (Andrés’ cousin), and roughly a dozen other friends and relatives set out on their latest search. Their arms were stacked with printed flyers bearing Andrés’ photo and a contact number, their boots crunching over cracked concrete and collapsed masonry that still litters La Guaira’s neighborhoods. The family already recovered the bodies of Andrés’ mother and brother from the ruins of their 10-story apartment building, which crumbled when the quakes hit, killing more than 30 residents. No trace of Andrés — not even the backpack he carried everywhere — has been found in the wreckage.

    Countless tip-offs have kept the family clinging to hope, despite months of fruitless searching. Neighbors have reported sightings of the teen wandering the destruction zone collecting scrap metal; days after the quakes, multiple witnesses said they saw him roaming the area with a minor head injury. Just one day before the latest search, local police confirmed they too had spotted him gathering scrap nearby. Residents also told the family they often saw Andrés feeding stray cats, his favorite pastime. Tips have placed him at a nearby golf course, a community park, a local restaurant, and a neighborhood McDonald’s, but each lead has ended in disappointment when the search party arrives to find he is already gone.

    This grassroots search is a deliberate choice, born from deep distrust of Venezuelan government authorities. The official government count puts the death toll at 6,500 and the number of missing people at 1,500, numbers that Caracas insists are rigorously verified, compiled after a rapid response effort. But independent accounts put the actual number of missing people far higher, in the tens of thousands, and families like the Molinas say they have never received any official support for search efforts.

    “We’ve never had support from the government to help us find the people disappeared. Never,” Antonella told the AP, as she approached construction crews and local residents on the search route, greeting each with the warm, familiar Venezuelan greeting “how are you, mi amor?” A construction worker told the group he had seen Andrés near the golf course, matching a prior tip; another local resident recognized the photo from the flyers but had no recent information; a third man’s description of a matching young man included mention of tattoos, which Andrés does not have, ruling the sighting out.

    For Pedro, who reconnected with his cousin via WhatsApp in the months before the quake but never got the chance to meet him in person (he lives six hours away in Anzoategui state), the search is about making sure Andrés knows he is not alone, even after losing his mother and brother. “We don’t know how he must feel if he is alive,” Pedro said.

    The search effort has also been complicated by a long-standing family rift between Andrés’ mother and father, Antonella’s brother, which has kept the two sides of the family estranged for years, though Andrés’ father has joined the search efforts. The day’s search ended earlier than usual around 10 p.m. at a local McDonald’s, cut short after Antonella injured her arm. By the end of each day of searching, Antonella said she is left with a flood of conflicting, painful emotions.

    “At the end of each search, I always feel anger, helplessness, pain, sadness. Even despair,” she said. “Because it’s so many days, so much effort, so many hours walking, searching, asking questions. And we end up with the same answers. They saw him, they saw him, they saw him. But not having him present in our arms has been a very hard blow.”

    Antonella has even begun to wonder if Andrés may be choosing to stay out of reach, pointing to the frequent discovery of her flyers torn right through Andrés’ face. Still, she says she will not stop. Driven by love and the hope that her nephew is alive, she will keep searching the rubble-strewn streets of La Guaira until she finds him. “I have to continue until I find my nephew,” she said.

  • TV presenter among 12 sentenced to death in Egypt drugs case

    TV presenter among 12 sentenced to death in Egypt drugs case

    In a high-profile legal ruling that has drawn international attention, 39-year-old Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa, famous for her popular crime-focused show *Mission Impossible*, has been sentenced to death by hanging alongside 11 other co-defendants following their conviction on a raft of drug trafficking charges. The case, which unfolded over months of court proceedings, confirms the group was part of an organized criminal network smuggling precursor chemicals for illicit drug manufacturing with the intention of distributing the finished narcotics across the country. Prosecutors also confirmed the gang was in possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, adding further severity to the charges.

    Khalifa has consistently maintained her innocence throughout the trial. During a court appearance last September, when questioned by the judge about her alleged connection to the seized drugs, she stated she had never encountered any illegal narcotics until she was photographed with the confiscated substances at Egyptian anti-narcotics agency offices. Her legal team has confirmed they will move forward with an appeal against the death sentence in the coming weeks.

    The final verdict structure also saw nine additional defendants receive life imprisonment sentences, while seven other accused individuals were acquitted of all charges. The initial verdict was first announced by the court one month prior to its final confirmation. Under Egyptian legal framework, all death sentences require a formal religious opinion from Egypt’s Grand Mufti before they can be officially upheld, which was received by the court this month to confirm the ruling.

    Court documents and reporting from state-owned Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram outline that law enforcement seized more than 750 kilograms (1,653 pounds) of finished narcotics alongside the smuggled raw materials used to produce them. Prosecutors built their case using testimony from 20 witnesses alongside electronic evidence including intercepted communications and video clips, according to the publication.

    The sentence comes amid ongoing scrutiny of Egypt’s use of capital punishment from international human rights organizations. A 2025 report from Amnesty International recorded 492 death sentences handed down across Egypt that year, with 23 of those sentences actually carried out. The organization has repeatedly criticized the application of the death penalty to crimes including drug trafficking and rape, which do not meet the international legal standard restricting capital punishment to only the most serious offenses of intentional killing.

  • US envoys Witkoff and Kushner set for talks in Kyiv after meeting with Putin in Moscow

    US envoys Witkoff and Kushner set for talks in Kyiv after meeting with Putin in Moscow

    A new U.S.-backed initiative to end the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is moving forward this weekend, as two American envoys prepare to land in Kyiv Sunday following a closed-door meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow a day earlier. This trip marks the first visit to the Ukrainian capital for special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner — who is also former U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law — and comes at a moment of sharply escalating aerial hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, as both sides look to break a months-long stalemate along the sprawling 1,250-kilometer front line.

    After weeks of intensified cross-border air attacks that have turned daily life in Kyiv upside down, with frequent air-raid siren wails now a permanent fixture of the capital’s routine, both Russian President Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have reached a temporary agreement: neither side will launch strikes on the other’s capital for the duration of the ongoing diplomatic push.

    The Moscow meeting between the U.S. envoys and Putin stretched more than three hours behind closed doors, and concluded Saturday with no public announcements of major breakthroughs. Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s top foreign policy advisor, characterized the discussion as constructive, frank, and productive, but declined to share concrete details of any outcomes reached during the talks.

    Beyond the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Ushakov confirmed that the conversation covered more ground than just the battlefield. The Russian side shared its full, comprehensive analysis of the current military situation in Ukraine, but talks also delved into economic cooperation. According to Ushakov, participants discussed economic matters in significant depth, including the potential for large-scale, mutually beneficial joint projects between Russia and the United States.

    This diplomatic push marks a renewed effort to jumpstart stalled peace negotiations after six months of fading momentum for Washington’s peace initiative. Over the past half year, U.S. foreign policy attention has shifted largely to the escalating conflict involving Iran, sidelining efforts to resolve the Ukraine war. The last known trip by Witkoff and Kushner to Moscow for talks with Putin at the Kremlin took place back in January, with no tangible peace progress emerging from that earlier round of discussions.

    The current deadlock on the ground has driven both belligerents to ramp up their air campaigns. Russia has increasingly deployed fast-flying jet-powered drones in its recent strikes against Ukrainian targets, while Ukraine has carried out a wave of successful drone attacks that sowed widespread disruption across Russian territory through the summer months.

  • One Tech Tip: How to avoid Celine Dion ticket scams as she makes her grand concert comeback

    One Tech Tip: How to avoid Celine Dion ticket scams as she makes her grand concert comeback

    As Celine Dion prepares for her long-awaited return to the concert stage in Paris, venue organizers are preparing for a devastating side effect of the singer’s massive popularity: hundreds of fans are expected to be turned away at the door after falling victim to ticket scams run by opportunistic cybercriminals. Drawing on lessons learned from Taylor Swift’s 2024 Paris shows at the same venue, Plenitude Arena management is warning fans of widespread fraudulent ticketing operations that have already stolen thousands of dollars from excited attendees.

    Dion’s comeback tour, which kicks off its first of 26 Paris shows this Saturday, marks the Grammy-winning artist’s first full tour series after she revealed a 2022 diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that forced her to step back from live performance for years. Her brief showstopping performance of *Hymne à l’amour* at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, delivered from the Eiffel Tower in pouring rain, only amplified already pent-up global demand for tickets, which sold out within moments of going on sale. This unprecedented hype has created the ideal breeding ground for scammers, according to cybersecurity experts.

    “Where there is massive demand and widespread excitement, fraudsters see a golden opportunity,” notes Group-IB, a Singapore-based cybersecurity firm that partners with Interpol on global cybercrime tracking. The organization confirms scammers are reusing the same proven scam tools they deployed to target Taylor Swift fans during her 2023-2024 Eras Tour and Oasis fans ahead of the British band’s 2025 reunion tour, adapting the tactics for Dion’s eager audience.

    Plenitude Arena, which will host 16 Dion shows between September and October 2024, plus an additional 10 dates in May 2027, says scam risk peaks in two windows: immediately after tickets first go on sale (April 2024 for the upcoming run, June 2024 for the 2027 shows) and in the final weeks leading up to performances. “That’s when the public will be very exposed to these scammers,” Céline Trioux, the arena’s marketing director, told the Associated Press in an interview. “People are going to wake up and think, ‘Oh, right, I didn’t get a ticket, everyone is going, I want to go,’ or ‘I’ve seen the first show all over social media, it looks amazing, I’m going to find a ticket by any means possible.’ And that’s also when the scammers will be out in force.”

    While all general admission tickets sold out immediately, a limited number of VIP packages — including perks like Champagne and exclusive access — remain available for between €1,099 and €2,999 (US$1,276 to $3,473) exclusively through the arena’s official website. For fans seeking resold tickets from original purchasers who can no longer attend, Trioux emphasized that only three platforms are authorized to facilitate safe secondary sales: AXS France, Ticketmaster France, and Fnac Spectacles. Trioux noted that resold tickets will be extremely scarce, as only 4% to 8% of ticket holders at the arena ultimately end up unable to use their purchases.

    “I strongly advise against buying a ticket from an individual or from someone advertising it on social media, because there’s no way to know whether it’s genuine or whether the same ticket will also be sold to other people,” Trioux warned.

    Cybersecurity researchers have found a wide network of fraudulent sites designed to mimic official ticketing platforms, Dion’s official website, and the Plenitude Arena’s own site. Many of these fake platforms use nearly identical URLs to trick unsuspecting fans — common examples include celinedion.co instead of the official celinedion.com, ticketmaster-celinedion.fr instead of the legitimate ticketmaster.fr, and axs-billetterie.com in place of official axs.com.

    Trioux says arena legal teams have already identified nearly 200 fraudulent Dion-related websites and social media accounts selling fake tickets, but shutting down these operations is a losing battle. “When we shut down one copycat website, another one opens,” she explained. “It’s a constant battle. It’s impossible to close them all because technology is advancing faster than legal authorities can act.” Fans are advised to only access ticket links through the official Paris concert section of Dion’s website, which hosts direct, verified links to all authorized sellers.

    During Swift’s four 2024 Paris shows at Plenitude Arena, venue staff turned away between 400 and 500 fans who had purchased fake tickets from scammers. For Dion’s tour, Trioux says the arena is expecting potentially hundreds of fraud victims every single night of the run. To support fans who fall victim, the arena has set up dedicated on-site complaint desks at the venue entrance, where staff will assist scammed fans with filing official police reports.

    Fans from across the globe are traveling to Paris for the once-in-a-lifetime comeback shows, which mark a major milestone for one of the most decorated pop artists in modern music history. For those who have been targeted by scammers, the disappointment of being turned away at the door will be particularly devastating. “They will generally discover the problem at the entrance, when they present their fake ticket,” Trioux said.