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At least three people were killed and more than a dozen others were injured after Russia carried out a heavy overnight assault on Kyiv using ballistic missiles and drones, Ukrainian officials said on Saturday. According to Kyiv Mayor Vitalii Klitschko, debris from intercepted missiles struck a five-story apartment building in the Solomianskyi district, causing significant damage and igniting a fire in the courtyard. Emergency crews were working to rescue residents believed to be trapped inside the building. Klitschko also reported that another residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district partially collapsed on its first and second floors, leaving additional people trapped. In the Darnytskyi district, several warehouse buildings caught fire as a result of the attack. The latest strike occurred just two days after Russia launched another large-scale missile and drone offensive across Ukraine, which left 10 civilians dead and more than 50 injured. During that attack, one Russian missile briefly entered Polish airspace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has continued to urge the United States and its Western allies to provide additional Patriot air defense systems to strengthen Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian ballistic missiles. On Friday evening, Zelenskyy said he had spoken with U.S. Vice President JD Vance about his recent meeting in Washington with President Donald Trump, describing the discussions as constructive and encouraging. In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy stressed that Russia's aerial attacks remain relentless and reiterated that acquiring more Patriot missile interceptors is one of Ukraine's most urgent defense priorities. During the NATO summit in Ankara in July, Trump said the United States would allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot systems under license. However, speaking at a Cabinet meeting at Camp David on Friday, he indicated that no final decision had yet been made on the proposal.

Hamas announced on Friday that it had agreed to disarm, marking a potentially major step toward ending the conflict in Gaza. However, significant obstacles remain, and it is uncertain whether the agreement will ultimately be implemented. Israel has not yet responded publicly to the announcement, which was first revealed by President Donald Trump just hours earlier. The development comes nine months after a U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Israel and Hamas was signed. President Trump is holding Friday's Cabinet meeting at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland, marking the first Cabinet gathering there during his second term. A previous attempt to convene at Camp David in May was canceled due to poor weather conditions. On Thursday, Trump indicated that he may withdraw acting Attorney General Todd Blanche's nomination for the permanent position rather than accept Senate Republicans' demands related to a broad tax audit immunity agreement that would benefit both the president and his family members. Zelenskyy seeks Trump's support for expanded Starlink access Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged Trump and other U.S. officials to help secure expanded access to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communication network for Ukraine, with the goal of improving its ability to conduct operations inside Russia. The request reflects Ukraine's efforts to reduce its dependence on U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense systems, which have become increasingly scarce as the conflict involving the U.S., Israel, and Iran continues. On Friday, Trump also appeared to soften his earlier pledge to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot interceptors under license. According to a source familiar with the discussions, Zelenskyy personally raised the Starlink proposal during an Oval Office meeting with Trump earlier this week. He later reiterated the request to lawmakers on Capitol Hill, emphasizing the system's potential role in targeting operations within Russia. Both individuals who disclosed the conversations spoke anonymously because the discussions were private. Trump did not commit to approving the request. White House suggests possible new military action against Iran White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt reiterated the administration's criticism of Iran, accusing Tehran of violating a memorandum of understanding on a truce that had been signed with the United States last month. She alleged that Iran subsequently attacked commercial vessels and was responsible for the deaths of American service members. Leavitt stated that President Trump would not tolerate what she described as Iran's continued terrorist activities and warned that the country would face ongoing consequences unless it engaged in meaningful negotiations. Her remarks followed Trump's comments earlier on Friday, in which he suggested that U.S. military operations against Iran could continue. Speaking during a Cabinet meeting, Trump said the United States intended to strike Iran forcefully until it reached a point where it could no longer sustain the conflict. U.S. dismisses case over Reflecting Pool damage Federal prosecutors have dropped charges against former Olympian David Hearn, who had been accused of damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. Government attorneys said that evidence gathered after the indictment showed the damage was caused by improper installation by the contractor and the accelerated pace of the construction project, rather than Hearn's actions.

The SAARC Journalist Forum (SJF) and ICJ Global Media Group LLC, operator of the Intercontinental Connection of Journalists (ICJ), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing a three-year strategic partnership aimed at strengthening international cooperation among journalists, promoting press freedom, and expanding professional opportunities for media professionals across South Asia and beyond. The agreement was signed by Raju Lama, International President of the SAARC Journalist Forum, in New York, and Saša Dobrijević, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of ICJ Global Media Group LLC, in Belgrade, Serbia. SAARC Journalist Forum to host Dhaka Conference this year According to the MoU, both organizations will collaborate to advance independent journalism, enhance professional standards, and increase the global visibility of journalists from South Asia. The partnership is based on mutual respect, professional ethics, and institutional cooperation. The agreement reflects both organizations’ shared commitment to defending press freedom and supporting responsible journalism. Under the agreement, the SAARC Journalist Forum will join the ICJ Friends institutional network. The partnership includes reciprocal digital promotion, with both organizations displaying each other’s official logos and website links, as well as the creation of an official institutional profile for SJF on the ICJ platform to showcase its activities, achievements, and initiatives. The MoU also encourages SJF-affiliated journalists to become ICJ members, providing access to an international media network, professional training, publishing opportunities, press credentials, participation in global media panels, and eligibility for ICJ awards. Premium members will also gain access to the ICJ Marketplace for the international distribution of investigative and exclusive journalism. The agreement outlines cooperation in joint projects, information sharing, online exchanges, and coordinated initiatives designed to strengthen media solidarity across South Asia and globally. It further clarifies that the MoU is an expression of goodwill and does not create legally binding financial or commercial obligations between the two organizations. The partnership will remain in effect for an initial period of three years, with the option of renewal by mutual written agreement. Either party may terminate the agreement by providing 60 days’ written notice. The signing of the MoU marks a significant milestone in expanding international media cooperation, creating new opportunities for journalists in the SAARC region to engage with a broader global network while reinforcing the shared values of press freedom, ethical journalism, and professional development.

A Sri Lankan court on Friday sentenced former Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara to death after convicting him of criminal negligence for failing to prevent the Islamic State-inspired Easter Sunday bomb attacks in 2019 that killed more than 260 people. Although sentenced to death, Jayasundara is unlikely to be executed as Sri Lanka has maintained an informal moratorium on capital punishment since 1976, meaning death sentences are generally commuted to life imprisonment. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake supports retaining the moratorium. The coordinated bombings targeted three churches- two Catholic and one Protestant- and three tourist hotels, killing more than 260 people, including 42 foreign nationals. A parliamentary committee investigating the attacks found that police and intelligence officials failed to act despite receiving repeated intelligence warnings before the bombings. Jayasundara may appeal Friday's verdict delivered by a three-member High Court bench. The court was also scheduled to issue a verdict later Friday on former Defense Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, who faces the same charge. Authorities blamed two Sri Lanka-based Islamic militant groups for carrying out the attacks. All suspects believed to have directly participated are dead, while separate trials are continuing for individuals accused of links to the perpetrators. Sri Lanka's Catholic Church has maintained that those identified so far were not the masterminds behind the Easter Sunday attacks, alleging that a broader conspiracy was behind the bombings.

Hamas said Friday it has agreed to a phased roadmap to disarm, a significant step that could help end the war in Gaza if Israel also fulfills key conditions, including ending hostilities and withdrawing its forces from the Palestinian territory. Senior Hamas official Bassem Naim confirmed the agreement on X, while a Hamas official and a regional official told media the group's commitment is contingent on Israeli concessions. Israel has not commented on the deal announced earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump, nine months after a U.S.-brokered 20-point ceasefire plan was signed. The agreement calls for Hamas to surrender weapons, dismantle tunnels, facilitate an Israeli troop withdrawal, establish a new Palestinian technocratic government, deploy an International Stabilization Force (ISF) and begin Gaza's reconstruction. Police weapons would be transferred to the U.S.-backed National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, while heavy weapons and tunnels would be decommissioned in phases linked to Israel's withdrawal. Israel, however, has insisted it will not withdraw from areas under its control until Hamas is fully disarmed. U.S., Turkish, Egyptian and Qatari mediators are guaranteeing the deal, though Israel is not a signatory. Officials said the disarmament process could take 200-350 days. The war began after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack that killed about 1,200 people, while Gaza's Health Ministry says Israel's offensive has killed more than 73,000 Palestinians.

An airstrike carried out by Russian government-controlled Africa Corps in central Mali last month killed eight civilians, including three children, Human Rights Watch said Friday. The rights group said a Russian Sukhoi Su-24 attack aircraft dropped two bombs on Kyrnia village in the Mopti region on June 15. According to Human Rights Watch, one of the strikes landed near the home of the village chief, killing his wife and three children. The second strike hit a nearby cattle market, killing four men. No members of the Islamic militant group JNIM, which has controlled the village for about six years, were reported among those killed, the rights group said. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claims. Mali has faced violence for more than a decade from militants linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, including JNIM, as well as a Tuareg separatist rebellion in the north. The situation has worsened in recent months after JNIM and Tuareg separatists launched their biggest coordinated attacks in more than a decade. The attacks targeted the airport in the capital Bamako, the nearby military town of Kati and several cities in northern and central Mali. The attacks in April highlighted challenges facing Mali's efforts to fight the insurgency, including its growing reliance on Russia after the military-led government cut ties with former partners such as France. Russian mercenaries have been operating in Mali since late 2021 to support the military government in its fight against militants and separatists. Last year, the Russia-linked Africa Corps, which is under the country's Defense Ministry, replaced the private Wagner Group in Mali. Human Rights Watch said it interviewed 19 people, examined satellite images and reviewed a video posted online by Africa Corps. The video described the June strike as an attack on a gathering of "terrorists." The rights group said around 100 JNIM fighters were in the village at the time, but most were gathered in another area. It said the strikes did not appear to have targeted a clear military objective. Human Rights Watch urged Mali's government to investigate the attack and hold those responsible accountable. It warned that failure to do so could make the government complicit in possible war crimes. Russia's Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

At least 32 miners were killed and 10 others remained trapped underground after a methane gas explosion at a coal mine in southwest Pakistan on Thursday. The blast occurred at a mine on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, government mine inspector Ghani Baloch said. Seven bodies were recovered several hours after the explosion, while rescue teams later found 25 more, officials and the provincial disaster management agency said. Rescue operations were continuing to locate and bring out the remaining trapped miners. Baloch said rescuers would continue their efforts until all the trapped workers were found, but warned that the death toll could rise. He said the chances of finding survivors decrease after methane explosions because oxygen levels inside the mine can fall sharply. Rescuers were also moving cautiously because of the dangerous conditions. Authorities were handing over the recovered bodies to their families for burial, while relatives of the trapped miners waited anxiously for updates, Baloch said. Baluchistan Mines and Minerals Minister Shoaib Nosherwani said rescue teams were working in extremely difficult conditions. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and announced compensation of 500,000 Pakistani rupees (around $1,800) for each miner who died. He also said authorities would investigate the cause of the explosion and review safety measures at coal mines. A coal miners' union, meanwhile, blamed possible negligence for the accident and called for action against those responsible. The Pakistan Central Mines Labour Federation urged the government to strictly enforce mine safety rules and take strong action against companies that fail to comply with safety regulations. Deadly accidents are frequent in Pakistan's coal mining sector, particularly in Baluchistan, where many mines lack proper ventilation, gas monitoring systems and other basic safety facilities. Mine workers and labour groups have long accused mine owners of failing to enforce safety rules and provide adequate protective equipment. Despite the dangerous working conditions and low wages, thousands of people depend on coal mining for their livelihoods in Baluchistan, Pakistan's largest and least developed province, where poverty and unemployment remain widespread.

It took a World Cup to transform a remote cluster of islands that’s home to more sheep than people into a cultural juggernaut. A decision by Argentina’s players to unfurl a banner about the disputed Falkland Islands after defeating England in the World Cup semifinals carried a historical cause onto the T-shirts, bedroom walls and Instagram feeds of a new generation. In the weeks since, the image that has endured from the tournament in soccer-crazed Argentina hasn't been of Lionel Messi. It’s been the crudely painted sign reading: “The Malvinas are Argentine.” The South Atlantic archipelago, known in Argentina as the Malvinas, is claimed by both Argentina and Britain, which fought a 10-week war over the territory in 1982. The banner spawned a marketing bonanza in Argentina, appearing on stickers, tote bags, sneakers, artwork and soccer jerseys. It was draped over bars, painted onto subway walls and tattooed onto calves and forearms. Thousands of Argentines downloaded “Malvinas Sans,” a typeface modeled on the banner’s hand-painted lettering. Colorful murals of the islands and of war veterans popped up across the country. “The World Cup is now over, and yet people are still talking about the Malvinas because the Malvinas somehow became part of the World Cup,” said Edgardo Esteban, an author and veteran of the war. “Kids in schools are asking me, ‘What’s this Malvinas thing?’ Now there’s a passing of the torch.” From repressed trauma to state symbol None of Argentina’s players had been born when the country’s military dictatorship invaded the Malvinas in 1982, holding the islands for 73 days before British forces recaptured them in a war that killed 649 Argentine and 255 British troops. But they grew up in a country haunted by the humiliation of that ill-fated invasion, widely seen as a desperate bid for popularity by the weakened junta that fell a year later. As Argentina emerged from the trauma of the brutal dictatorship, many veterans and families of conscripts killed in the war felt their sacrifices had been sidelined by a nascent democracy that sought to distance itself from the disaster. “As veterans, we spent a long time feeling silenced, forgotten, pushed aside,” Esteban said. It took a different World Cup to break that silence. When Argentina played England in the quarterfinals in Mexico City in 1986, Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona scored two goals — including his notorious handball known as the “Hand of God,” which he dedicated to those killed in the war and said was revenge for the Malvinas. Over the decades, Argentina’s claim on the islands became enshrined in its constitution. The Malvinas appeared on road signs. Each year, the country's leaders honor the war dead with wreath-laying ceremonies. The islands, which lie 480 kilometers (300 miles) off Argentina’s coast, are home to some 3,600 people, roughly 450,000 sheep and over 1 million penguins, according to government figures. A daring display sparks backlash Ahead of this year's semifinal against England, Argentine Security Minister Alejandra Monteoliva warned fans that Malvinas-themed signs would not be allowed inside the stadium due to FIFA’s ban on political messages. As Argentine players ran onto the field to celebrate their victory, supporters tossed what appeared to be a white bed sheet onto the pitch. Midfielder Giovani Lo Celso pulled it open to reveal the message hand-painted in bold black letters: “Las Malvinas son Argentinas,” or “The Malvinas are Argentine.” Teammates Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martínez helped spread the banner wide before TV cameras and cheering fans. After the match, British politicians and fans took to social media to vent their anger, helping amplify a wave of online posts criticizing both Argentina and its national team, digital researchers said. On Wednesday, FIFA charged Argentina’s soccer federation for players parading the banner. ‘Malvinas mania’ grips Argentina In Argentina, the banner became a sensation, eclipsing for many both the disappointment of the team's defeat to Spain in the final and the flood of hostile commentary. “Despite not having won the tournament or brought home the trophy, every single player was welcomed back as a popular hero,” said Juan Rattenbach, an Argentine political expert on the Malvinas. Iván Marcasiano, 36, owns a Buenos Aires print shop that has struggled to keep up with explosive demand for T-shirts printed with players holding the banner. “The players had the courage to display a flag on the field that fans had been banned from bringing into the stadium. That gesture, showing that it’s up to ordinary Argentines to carry our demands forward, really resonated with young people,” Marcasiano said. “They reached an audience that might never have participated in this kind of activism or historical remembrance before.” When Marcasiano offered on Instagram to screen-print the image onto fans’ Argentina jerseys free of charge, 3,500 people — from teenagers to war veterans — showed up at his shop in a single day, he said. When pop culture meets politics It remains unclear if the Malvinas frenzy is a flash-in-the-pan obsession or evidence of a lasting resurgence of the political cause. Activists have scrambled to harness the momentum. They are invoking national sovereignty to rally opposition to libertarian President Javier Milei's free-market agenda, including legislation that would loosen restrictions on foreign land ownership in Argentina. But experts said the real political impact may lie beyond Argentina: introducing tens of millions of viewers worldwide to a dispute over a chain of islands few could have found on a map. Global Google searches for the Malvinas jumped 2,400% after Argentina’s semifinal against England, according to Google Trends, the largest increase in search interest since the platform began tracking data. “Britain’s strategy since 1982 has been to keep the issue of the Malvinas out of the spotlight,” Rattenbach said. “Now, no one can deny its visibility.”    

The death toll climbed to 34 from a powerful earthquake in southwestern Japan that set off an explosion at a mall, toppled a factory chimney and flattened homes, the Kumamoto prefectural government said Friday. The magnitude 7.1 earthquake hit Japan’s southern main island of Kyushu on Tuesday. Officials said 34 deaths had been confirmed as related to the disaster, with one more death still under investigation. Dozens of people were injured. More than 3,500 homes were still without electricity, according to Kyushu Electric Power Co. Authorities said more than 9,000 people were staying in shelters, where power sources were being added to provide air conditioning. In the days since the quake, concerns have grown about illness, including from the sweltering heat. Temperatures Friday were due to rise to 36 C (97 F) in Kumamoto city, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency, after stifling 35 C (95 F) heat on Thursday. Searchers continued to work in the Kumamoto area on Friday, including at the site of the collapsed Aeon Mall shopping center in the town of Kashima, where some of the most serious damage was recorded. The complex was bustling with thousands of people when the quake happened. The company said about 3,000 shoppers were evacuated to a parking lot before an explosion happened in another part of the mall, where some staff remained working. The mall’s second floor collapsed, trapping people. At the site, seven people were confirmed dead and 11 had been rescued, Japanese Chief Cabinet Sec Minoru Kihara told reporters in Tokyo on Friday. Authorities didn't say how many were still missing. Meanwhile, a search operation had ended at a Nippon Paper Industries factory in the Yatsushiro area where a chimney collapsed in the quake, Kihara said. Searchers rescued 11 people there, while nine others were confirmed dead.

The death toll from an overnight deadly militant attack on a police post in northwestern Pakistan rose to 11 early Thursday, police and a government official said. Security forces killed 15 militants in an hourlong gunbattle after they targeted the Khazina police post in Hangu district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, police official Irfan Khan said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the assault. Suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which has stepped up attacks on Pakistani security forces in the region in recent months. Among those killed was Diyar Khan, a senior police officer who led reinforcements to the scene, according to a provincial police statement. More than two dozen police officers were also wounded in the attack. Police said the militants attacked the police post with heavy weapons. Reinforcements dispatched to the scene were ambushed en route, damaging an armored personnel carrier before officers fought back, according to the statement. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent years, much of it blamed on the TTP, a separate group but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban, who returned to power in neighboring Afghanistan in 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing sanctuary to TTP militants, an allegation Kabul denies.