00:02Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan sounded alerts and fired air defenses early on Wednesday
00:07as the United States and Iran traded attacks after the downing of an American helicopter
00:12a day earlier. Jordan said it shot down five incoming missiles launched by Iran targeting
00:18an area that's home to an airbase that hosts U.S. forces. Tehran had vowed to respond after
00:25the U.S. launched airstrikes on Iran, accusing it of shooting down an army helicopter near
00:30the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian media reported at least two series of explosions along Iran's
00:36southern coast near the Strait. Later, U.S. Central Command said in a post on X that it
00:42had completed so-called self-defense strikes against Iran, adding that U.S. forces struck
00:47Iranian air defense, ground control stations and surveillance radar sites near the Strait
00:52of Hormuz. Before he accused Iran of downing the U.S. helicopter, Trump had expressed renewed
00:59optimism over negotiations with Iran, without elaborating. Officials have been unable to turn
01:05the April ceasefire into a deal to permanently end the conflict, particularly as Israel intensifies
01:11and expands its military campaign in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.
01:21UK leaders are calling for calm after the stabbing of a man in Belfast sparked violent anti-immigration
01:28protests where people torched buildings and vehicles and blocked roads. A Sudanese man was
01:34arrested on Tuesday in relation to the stabbing attack that was captured in a graphic video that
01:38shocked the country. As anti-immigration figures, including Reform Party leader Nigel Farage,
01:46demanded details about the attacker's background, the Interior Ministry confirmed he was a Sudanese
01:51asylum seeker. Northern Ireland's leaders urged people not to incite hate and fear or target
01:57particular communities after reports emerged that protests were planned. Tensions were already high in
02:04Britain after violent skirmishes last week in Southampton over the police handling of the murder
02:08of Henry Novak, a young white student stabbed to death by a British Sikh man. Tech billionaire Elon
02:16Musk chimed in again on social media following the attack in Belfast, retweeting a post by far-right
02:21activist Tommy Robinson. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer had previously accused Musk of fueling
02:28division in Britain over his comments on Novak's murder. Kyiv used Ukrainian-made flamingo missiles
02:38to strike a Russian military facility which supplies the Kremlin's forces with components used to produce
02:43drones and missiles. In a post on X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country is
02:50continuing its efforts to target Russian military and oil facilities, their financial and munitions arms,
02:55to reduce their assault capabilities on Ukraine. The latest strikes hit the Russian city of Cheboksary
03:02in the central Chuvashia region, located some 1,000 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
03:08Regional Governor Oleg Nikolaev confirmed the city had come under attack, noting that authorities
03:13are working on determining the number of casualties and extent of damage. The Ukrainian missiles also
03:19targeted the Kuibyshev oil refinery, which processes close to 4 million tons of crude annually,
03:25supplying a good chunk of that to Russia's military, industrial sector and armed forces.
03:30The Ukrainian flamingo missiles use remains relatively rare since they were developed and
03:35unveiled in August 2025. The projectile is classified as a cruise missile and carries a
03:42strike range of up to 3,000 kilometers, allowing Ukraine to hid deep within Russian territory
03:47and can carry warheads of just over a ton.
03:55A consortium led by French plane producer Airbus has proposed developing a next-gen fighter jet
04:01after the high-profile German Franco warplane program collapsed.
04:05The move comes a day after German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz and French President Emmanuel Macron
04:11officially ended the original project, following years of disagreements between their country's
04:16industrial partners. Munich-based defense tech company Hensold said it had joined forces with
04:22Airbus and a slew of other companies to drop an alternative plan.
04:27A spokesperson for the firm said the proposal has been submitted to German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius
04:32and Chancellor Mertz. Pistorius acknowledged the existence of the proposal and said his office
04:38was still assessing it, but praised the stakeholders' continued interest after what he described as a
04:43painful breakdown of the previous initiative. The company said more will be detailed about the
04:49future combat air system, or FCAS, and the next-generation weapon system on Thursday at the Berlin ILA airshow.
05:01What if walls could still talk? In the Vosges mountains of Alsace, the kitchen of the former Nazi
05:08concentration camp at Natzweiler-Strothof is currently undergoing archaeological excavation.
05:14Between 1941 and 1944, 50,000 prisoners were forced to work here. It was in this long wooden
05:22barrack built by the deportees that mills were prepared. Today, the building is being studied and
05:28restored with a view to its future opening to the public.
05:31The goal is that visitors can enter this building, discover their history, and better
05:37experience the daily life, the survival of the deportees.
05:40The kitchen block was looted after the wall, leaving almost nothing inside. Among the few
05:46objects found, a small glass vial, a few buttons, and a comb. Archival documents have also revealed
05:53that inmates may have hidden objects in the walls.
05:58On a pour l'instant rien trouvé, mais c'est possible que dans une pièce, derrière une des cloisons,
06:02on trouve des objets cachés. C'est un peu une des attentes du chantier, et donc c'est à suivre
06:07dans les prochaines semaines.
06:08The wooden planks that make up the walls of the barracks will be carefully removed and numbered
06:14for restoration. They will then be re-inserted in their original position.
06:19Aujourd'hui, avec la disparition des derniers témoins, des derniers déportés, c'est ces traces,
06:24ces lieux, les lieux de survie, les lieux où les déportés ont vécu qui vont survivre
06:30à la disparition de ces personnes. Et c'est vraiment important aujourd'hui de conserver pour les
06:34générations futures, pour transmettre cette histoire auprès des générations futures.
06:40Restoration of the site is scheduled to continue until the end of 2027, before it is opened
06:46to the public as a memorial site.
06:51Europe experienced one of its hottest months on record last month, under an unusually early heat
06:57wave that the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service warned is becoming the new normal.
07:03According to the EU's Climate Monitor, May was the second hottest month on record globally,
07:10a month that saw Britain, France, Ireland and Portugal break their own records as a heat dome
07:16of warm air from northern Africa pushed temperatures well above normal levels.
07:22According to Copernicus, globally the average surface air temperature reached 15.81 degrees Celsius,
07:29second only to May 2024. The average sea surface temperature was also the second highest on record,
07:37behind May 2024, as conditions shift towards the warming El Nino weather pattern.
07:43Forecast warned that the coming El Nino could be one of the strongest on record. Last week,
07:49the World Meteorological Organization warned El Nino has an 80% chance of developing between June and August,
07:57increasing the risk of extreme weather events.
08:03Somali football referee Omar Artan has returned to his homeland where he was given a hero's welcome
08:08back in the capital Mogadishu. His return comes after a dramatic 48 hours which saw the FIFA officiating
08:16member get barred from entering the United States just days before the World Cup is set to kick off.
08:22Artan was said to be the first referee from Somalia to officiate a World Cup, having made FIFA's final
08:28list for the tournament after being named the continent's best referee in 2025. He was denied entry
08:35at Miami International Airport over what U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement without
08:40elaborating were, quote, betting concerns. The U.S. decision to bar him entry has drawn widespread
08:47condemnation around the world with many questioning the country's capacity to host an international
08:52event of this magnitude. Critics accused the Trump administration of politicizing the tournament
08:59after several situations were revealed of improper conduct with nationals of certain countries.
09:04An Iraqi national team player was questioned for seven hours, visas were denied to over a dozen
09:11Iranian staff members, and the Senegalese team was subjected to a frisk search upon disembarking their
09:16plane. Still, Artan kept his spirits high, speaking to reporters, he expressed his gratitude for the
09:24opportunity and promised to attend the next World Cup in 2030.
09:31The countdown is almost over. Across North America, host cities are putting the finishing
09:37torches to preparations for the biggest World Cup in history. From Kansas to Toronto, officials say
09:45security plans are in place. I think for the world, we want to show off that Kansas City is on
09:51the rise,
09:51that we are elevating. We are no longer, as we say, a flyover state, we're a fly-to state. But
09:57we also
09:57want people in Kansas City to be really proud of this as well. We hope Kansas Cityans and those in
10:02the region are really excited to host and show off and proud that this came to their backyard.
10:07Toronto will host six World Cup games starting this Friday. Officials in Canada's largest city
10:14say they are ready to welcome the world and are emphasizing its diversity. Embrace this moment in
10:21our city, in our country's history and experience all that this opportunity has to offer. We are
10:28ready to welcome the world and we are looking forward to kicking off.
10:32But beyond host cities preparations and the stadiums, the focus is also now shifting to the national teams.
10:38On Monday, Mexico's President Claudia Schoenbaum presided over a flag presentation ceremony for the
10:45national team, three days before the country opens the 2026 FIFA World Cup against South Africa.
10:56Mexico plays host to six national squads in the country, including the Iranian squad
11:01embroidered in a war with the U.S. Meanwhile, as final preparations enter their last phase,
11:08fans and officials are confronted with some obstacles, exorbitant ticket prices,
11:13U.S. travel bans and visa restrictions. On Monday, Omar Ahtan, who was said to be the first Somali to
11:21referee at the World Cup finals, was dropped from the list of officials after he was denied entry to
11:27the United States. His entry refusal follows President Donald Trump's visa ban list and restrictions,
11:33including four competing at the World Cup, Haiti, Iran, Senegal and Ivory Coast.
Comments