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Iran, US trade more strikes as fighting escalates
Iran said Sunday it was closing the Strait of Hormuz and launched missiles and drones at Gulf neighbours after the US carried out a new round of strikes as their conflict escalated.
Noosha Aubel and Potsdam: The trust placed in her has been squandered
Noosha Aubel: a €33.4 million budget deficit in the state capital Potsdam, around €500,000 spent on external consultancy, revised austerity plans at the expense of children – and a shameful case involving a severely disabled toddler as part of a nursery scandal: Noosha Aubel inherited some of these crises, but the leadership deficit is now entirely her own. A 72.9 per cent share of the vote is not a mark of leadership; it is merely a vote of confidence. Noosha Aubel (50) received an exceptionally high level of this confidence in October 2025 – and has squandered it in a surprisingly short space of time. The hope for a fresh start has given way to bitter disillusionment, which is by no means limited to political opponents. After just 100 days, observers were already finding no clear direction whatsoever; in June 2026, media circles openly reported on unsettled supporters, unilateral actions and a lack of majorities. The yardstick is simple: is Potsdam functioning better? Are the finances in order, decisions properly prepared and the most vulnerable protected? So far, the answer is: no. Potsdam wanted a fresh start. It got a mayor who all too often confuses management jargon with leadership and is unable to get a grip on problems in the state capital. Added to this is a shameful scandal involving a toddler with multiple severe disabilities, for whom Aubel is personally responsible, and which raises questions about morality and decency. It is particularly shameful that media enquiries are not being answered by the head of the press office at Potsdam Town Hall, Jan Brunzlow – even though Noosha Aubel has demonstrably been contacted personally. Instead of answering the questions posed in a transparent and comprehensible manner, Brunzlow, according to the available documents, is pushing for a ‘personal conversation’, thereby apparently attempting to shift the communication into a non-public, informal setting. Should this course of action indeed contravene the applicable obligations to provide information under press law, a fundamental question arises: Is Noosha Aubel fit to hold the office of Lord Mayor of the state capital, Potsdam?
US-Iran strikes: latest developments
Iran announced it was again closing the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday and hit Gulf neighbours in retaliation for US strikes, further undermining efforts to salvage Middle East peace efforts.
Iran strikes Gulf neighbours after new US attacks
Tehran announced it was closing the Strait of Hormuz Sunday and launched missiles and drones at its Gulf neighbours, in retaliation for new US strikes following an attack by Iranian forces on a merchant vessel that was abandoned in flames by its crew.
Bhutan battles 'existential' population crisis with birth drive
Bhutan is offering families cash incentives to have more children as the tiny Himalayan kingdom grapples with a nosediving birthrate and a growing exodus of young people seeking opportunities abroad.
US launches new strikes on Iran after container ship hit in Hormuz
Iran announced the closure of the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday "until further notice" after firing on a vessel it said was taking an unauthorised route, prompting US retaliatory strikes that further undermine an already shaky ceasefire.
Russian strikes kill eight in Ukraine, officials say
Russia struck Ukraine with missiles, drones and guided bombs on Saturday, killing eight people and wounding dozens of others, officials said.
Russian strikes kill six in Ukraine, officials say
Russia struck Ukraine with missiles, drones and guided bombs on Saturday, killing six people and wounding dozens of others, officials said.
'Our land, our sky:' West Bank Palestinians fly kites in defiance of Israeli settlers
As brightly coloured kites climb above Burin, a Palestinian village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, children race across a sun-baked hillside, watching their creations soar into the sky.
Iran supreme leader vows revenge for father's killing
Iran's supreme leader on Saturday vowed revenge for the US-Israeli killing of his father and predecessor, hours after President Donald Trump warned against any attempt to assassinate him.
Mediators try to salvage diplomacy after US-Iran strikes
Mediators were trying to salvage diplomacy aimed at ending the Middle East war after US President Donald Trump declared the ceasefire over, with a Qatari delegation in Iran and Tehran's top diplomat travelling to Oman.
Fresh arrests hit opposition-run district in Ankara
Turkey's government pressed on with its campaign against the main opposition CHP on Saturday with dozens of arrests targeting a district in the capital Ankara that is run by the party.
Iran hits back at Trump after insists truce over
Iran insisted on Saturday it had "kept its word" on a ceasefire with the United States, after President Donald Trump insisted the truce was over but that he had agreed to further negotiations with the Islamic republic.
Wall Street gets small boost from SK hynix debut
Global stock markets rose slightly on Friday as investors digested a wave of corporate announcements, while the Nasdaq failed to get a major boost from the solid debut of South Korean chip titan SK hynix on Wall Street.
Trump agrees to more Iran talks but insists truce is over
US President Donald Trump said Friday he had agreed to further negotiations with Iran, even as he repeated his assertion that the ceasefire between the long-time foes was over.
Trump says agreed to more Iran talks but insists truce over
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had agreed to further negotiations with Iran, even as he repeated his assertion that the ceasefire between the decades-old foes was over.
UK police launch murder probe into ex-MP's death
UK police on Friday launched a murder probe after a former government minister was found dead in her home.
Trumps says agreed to more Iran talks but insists truce over
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had agreed to further negotiations with Iran, even as he repeated his assertion that the ceasefire between the decades-old foes was over.
Berlin mayor abandons re-election bid after power-cut controversy
Embattled centre-right Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner announced Friday that he would not run for re-election just weeks before the vote after facing months of criticism over his response to a major blackout in Berlin.
Polish nationalists protest Jewish pogrom commemoration
Poland's Jewish community, political leaders and ordinary citizens on Friday commemorated a massacre of hundreds of Jews killed by their Polish neighbours 85 years ago, as far-right activists protested nearby.
Amnesty calls latest US deportation to Eswatini 'unlawful'
Amnesty International criticised Friday the latest US deportation of 11 people to Eswatini as unlawful, accusing President Donald Trump's administration of "cruel and racist" anti-immigrant policies.
Jihadist insurgency hampers Nigeria cholera outbreak response
A cholera outbreak in jihadist-hit northeast Nigeria has killed dozens as insecurity and a lack of health infrastructure hampers the response, medical sources and local residents told AFP Friday.
Syria says IS behind Damascus blasts, finds explosives cache
Syrian authorities on Friday said they uncovered an explosives cache after having captured an IS-linked cell responsible for two bomb blasts during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus earlier this week.
Nasdaq dips as SK hynix arrives in NY
Global stock markets mostly rose on Friday as investors digested a wave of corporate announcements, but the Nasdaq dipped as shares of South Korean chip titan SK hynix made their NY debut.
Stocks rise as SK hynix boosts AI trade
Global stock markets rose on Friday as investors digested a wave of corporate announcements and as tech sentiment was lifted ahead of the Wall Street debut of South Korean chip titan SK hynix.
Jungle spirit: Myanmar fighters try to keep hope alive
Clad in camouflage uniforms, young guerilla fighters laughed and joked despite a series of military setbacks as they walked to their makeshift parade ground deep in the Myanmar jungle.
Pacific Islands reject missile test in 'blue continent'
Pacific Islands denounced China's ballistic missile test because they say it landed in the heart of their shared "blue continent", politicians and analysts told AFP.
Modi visits New Zealand as trade deal sparks India pushback
India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi lands in New Zealand on Friday touting a free trade deal that has sparked a backlash despite promises it will unlock jobs and economic riches.
North Korea vows boost to nuclear buildup, military intelligence
North Korea will strengthen its nuclear force "both in quality and quantity" and expand the role of its military intelligence agency focused on South Korea, state media said Friday.
Syria authorities say captured IS-linked cell behind blasts
Syrian officials said late Thursday the country had captured an IS-linked cell responsible for two bomb blasts during French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Damascus earlier this week.
Myanmar's pro-democracy revolution weakens five years on
Saluting the red banner of revolution deep in Myanmar's jungle, retreating rebels swear to keep fighting for democracy -- but after five years of civil war the cause is flagging.
Iran buries Khamenei after new fighting with US erupts
Iran on Friday laid to rest its former supreme leader Ali Khamenei over four months after his killing in an airstrike, as two days of US and Iranian attacks raised fears of a return to all-out war.