Iran-backed Houthis strike Israel with ballistic missile as Tehran mourns slain military commanders
Tensions in the Middle East reignite as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for a ballistic missile strike targeting Israel's southern city of Beersheba. The missile, fired on June 28, was reportedly intercepted by Israeli defence systems. Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sarea confirmed the attack, stating it was carried out in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Meanwhile, Tehran held a massive state funeral for over 60 Iranians-including military commanders and nuclear scientists, killed during the recent 12-day war with Israel.
Show more
Show less
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Israel intensifies Gaza strikes before US ceasefire talks
CAIRO/JERUSALEM: Palestinians in northern Gaza reported one of the worst nights of Israeli bombardment in weeks after the military issued mass evacuation orders on Monday, while Israeli officials were due in Washington for a new ceasefire push by the Trump administration. A day after US President Donald Trump urged an end to the 20-month-old war, a confidant of PM Benjamin Netanyahu was expected at the White House for talks on a Gaza ceasefire, Iran, and possible wider regional diplomatic deals. But on the ground in the Palestinian enclave there was no sign of fighting letting up. "Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes," said Salah, 60, a father of five children, from Gaza City. "In the news we hear a ceasefire is near, on the ground we see death and we hear explosions." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north, while aircraft bombed at least four schools after ordering hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said. At least 38 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Monday, health authorities said, including 10 people killed in Zeitoun and at least 13 killed southwest of Gaza City. Medics said most of the 13 were hit by gunfire, but residents also reported an airstrike. Live Events The Israeli military said it struck militant targets in northern Gaza, including command and control centers, after taking steps to mitigate the risk of harming civilians.
&w=3840&q=100)
Business Standard
41 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Brics summit may focus on greater use of national currencies for trade
The annual BRICS Summit, to be held in Brazil's Rio de Janeiro on 6 and 7 July, could deliberate on the issue of carrying out trade settlements in national currencies, a senior Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) official said here on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the BRICS Summit in the Brazilian city as part of his five-nation tour from 2 to 9 July. The other countries the Prime Minister is visiting are Ghana, Trinidad and Tobago, Argentina and Namibia. India will be the grouping's chair for the next year. On the proposed discussions on settling trade in national currencies, Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations) in the MEA, told a media briefing: 'Countries in the Global South are also looking at alternatives. It is not a de-dollarisation issue. Countries are also doing trade settlements in national currencies. This has been going on for quite some time.' Ravi said BRICS is bringing some understanding of how important it is to have alternative mechanisms to do trade and projects in national currencies. 'It is a process and we are confident that it will get traction in days to come,' he said. Ravi said the BRICS leaders' declaration is set to forcefully denounce the Pahalgam terror attack and call for a firm approach to unitedly confront terrorism in line with India's expectations. 'There is also a broader understanding on how to deal with this menace of terrorism and no one should be spared in dealing with it. I think that is very well captured. When you get the declaration, you will see the language is much to our satisfaction,' Ravi added. The BRICS declaration is also expected to feature a reference to the Iran-Israel conflict. Ravi said four concrete 'deliverables' are expected from the BRICS Summit, which include global governance and artificial intelligence, a framework declaration on climate finance, and a partnership for the elimination of socially determined diseases. Asked about Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin deciding to skip the summit, Ravi said it will be a key forum for India to continue to push for the interests of the Global South. Apart from the PM, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will also visit Brazil as part of her six-day official visit to Spain and Portugal from 30 June to 5 July. The Finance Minister will attend the fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FFD4), organised by the United Nations, and deliver a statement on behalf of India, according to a statement by the finance ministry. Sitharaman will meet senior ministers from Germany, Peru and New Zealand, and the President of the European Investment Bank, on the sidelines of the conference. She will also participate in and deliver a keynote address at the International Business Forum Leadership Summit on 'From FFD4 Outcome to Implementation: Unlocking the Potential of Private Capital for Sustainable Development', in Seville, Spain. Sitharaman will address the 10th Annual Meeting of the New Development Bank (NDB) as India's Governor and also attend the BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting (FMCBG) in Rio de Janeiro. She will deliver an address during the NDB Flagship Governors Seminar on 'Building a Premier Multilateral Development Bank for the Global South' and hold bilateral meetings with her counterparts from Brazil, China, Indonesia and Russia on the sidelines. As part of her visit to Lisbon, Portugal, the Finance Minister is expected to have a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Finance, Portugal. She will also interact with prominent investors and members of the Indian diaspora. BRICS, originally comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates, with Indonesia joining in 2025. BRICS now brings together 11 major emerging economies of the world, representing around 49.5 per cent of the global population, around 40 per cent of global GDP, and around 26 per cent of global trade. PM's Argentina visit key to critical minerals, shale energy partnership The Prime Minister's visit to Argentina will be important for India's efforts to import critical minerals. Officials said Argentina is a part of the Lithium Triangle, which comprises Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. 'We are talking to all three of them,' the official said, adding that India is also in talks with Peru and Bolivia to try and acquire mining concessions that hold lithium, molybdenum, and other critical minerals useful for India's green transition and advanced manufacturing. Argentina also holds the world's second-largest shale gas reserves and the fourth-largest shale oil reserves, along with substantial conventional oil and gas deposits, making it a potentially important energy partner for India in the future, officials said. The Prime Minister's visits to Namibia and Ghana and his interactions at the BRICS Summit could also focus on finding ways to establish bilateral mechanisms for partnering with multiple countries to harness critical minerals — both in terms of extraction processes and securing access to such minerals globally, officials said. They added that India has made good progress in this respect in Argentina, and Africa is rich in such resources. New Delhi will need to be much more focused in tapping this resource base in Africa. The Prime Minister's visits to both Ghana and Namibia become very important in this context, officials said. At the Prime Minister's meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brasília, the two leaders are expected to discuss ways to strengthen and diversify bilateral trade, including through the expansion of the India–MERCOSUR PTA, as Brazil will hold the chairship of MERCOSUR from 1 July 2025.
New Indian Express
42 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
When the spin is the win
These days, truth is much like a B2 stealth bomber. It is hard to detect it, though it hovers right over our heads. The US bombing of the nuclear reactors in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan was allegedly on behalf of Israel. How did a war between Israel and Iran spin around to consolidate the narrative that the US has returned as the global supercop and that Donald Trump is the only world leader worth talking about? Satellite imagery showed six gaping wounds at Fordo, a blackened sprawl at Isfahan, and an 18-foot hole at Natanz. Trump repeatedly asserted that Iran's nuclear programme was 'completely obliterated', a claim the Israel Atomic Energy Commission backed. Yet, making defiant noises from his bunker, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei proclaimed a 'severe slap' to America and a 'victory' over the 'Zionist regime'. There were photographs of Iranians dancing on the streets in celebration, having chosen to believe in their victory. As a great author said, patriotism is the opium of the people. Closer home, one thought of Operation Sindoor. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said it was an unqualified success. Pakistan's General Asim Munir, in return, claimed his army had shot down Indian planes. We chose officially not to believe him. Yet, the latest on this front is an admission of downed planes by an Indian defence attaché, a naval officer, at a seminar in Jakarta on June 10. But we still don't know how many planes India might have lost, or how many died or were wounded during the operation. We don't even seem to know for certain if the families of the Pahalgam victims have been compensated for their plight. In short, we are swallowed by the official bubble. In the absence of clear evidence, then, you are free to live in the truth bubble of your choice. Or so one thought until Trump bombed Iran, marking the return of the unipolar world, where the American version of the truth increasingly seems to be the only one, gaining ascendance over other national narratives. The indeterminacy of reality is a haze enveloping the world. Never mind if we are living in one of the most surveilled times in history: almost nothing goes unrecorded. Even what we search for on the internet comes back to haunt us as advertisements. We walk naked in the crowd, as it were.
