POLITICS & POLICY

A satellite picture provided by Maxar Technologies shows air strike damage on tunnel entrances at Isfahan nuclear enrichment facility in central Iran on June 22, 2025

Trump Insists Iran Nuclear Programme Set Back 'Decades'

President Donald Trump insisted Wednesday that US strikes led to the "total obliteration" of Iran's nuclear capabilities and set the country's atomic programme back "decades", while Israel said it was still early to fully assess the damage.
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Jyoti Thorat (left), a sugarcane worker who was married as a child bride, prays with her husband, Ravindra, in their home at Kathoda village in Beed district of India's Maharashtra state

Indian Activists Seek To Save Child Brides

When wedding season comes in India, the phone of child rights activist Tatwashil Kamble never stops ringing with appeals to stop girls from being married off due to poverty.
US President Donald Trump addresses the nation on strikes on Iran with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth behind him

Bombing Iran, Trump Gambles On Force Over Diplomacy

For nearly a half-century the United States has squabbled with Iran's Islamic republic but the conflict has largely been left in the shadows, with US policymakers believing, often reluctantly, that diplomacy was preferable.
Satellite images showed damage to the partially built Arak reactor in Iran after it was struck by Israel

Top Iran, EU Diplomats To Hold Nuclear Talks

European foreign ministers will hold nuclear talks with their Iranian counterpart on Friday, as President Donald Trump mulls the prospect of US involvement in the Iran-Israel war.
Pakistani pilgrims evacuated from Iran walk across the Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan, in Balochistan province on June 18, 2025

Govts Scramble To Evacuate Citizens From Israel, Iran

Governments around the world are evacuating thousands of their nationals caught up in the rapidly spiralling Israel-Iran conflict, organising buses and planes and in some cases assisting people crossing borders on foot.
Mo Chara and Moglai Bap at Coachella

Kneecap 'Unfazed' By Legal Problems, Says Friend And Director

Irish rappers Kneecap are "unfazed" by their legal problems and controversies kicked up by their anti-Israel pro-Palestinian statements, friend and film director Rich Peppiatt told AFP. Peppiatt helped create the Kneecap phenomenon with his 2024 semi-fictionalised film about the hip-hop group from Belfast, who are now playing major festivals around the world.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not ruled out killing Khamenei

Khamenei, Iran's Political Survivor, Faces Ultimate Test

Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has weathered a series of challenges but Israel's unprecedented strikes mark his most serious crisis yet, threatening both the clerical system he leads and his own physical survival.
Australian trainer Henry Dwyer (right) returns to Royal Ascot hoping Asfoora can repeat his success last year in the King Charles III Stakes

Royal Ascot Battling 'Headwinds' To Secure Foreign Aces: Racing Director

The "headwinds" of prizemoney and rival racing festivals are even more concerning than they were last year but nevertheless the quality of foreign runners at Royal Ascot is "pretty positive", director of racing Nick Smith told AFP. The five-day meeting -- described by Hong Kong-based Australian trainer David Hayes as "Melbourne Cup week on steroids" -- which starts on Tuesday is commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Royal Procession.
A plume of heavy smoke and fire rise over an oil refinery in southern Tehran, after an overnight Israeli strike

Israel-Iran Conflict: Latest Developments

Israel and Iran traded heavy fire for a third straight day on Sunday, with mounting casualties and expanding targets marking a sharp escalation in hostilities between the longtime foes.

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