Russia's Putin says he will speak to U.S. President Donald Trump later on Thursday
It will be the sixth publicly known conversation between the two leaders since Trump returned to the White House in January and comes amid so far unsuccessful U.S. efforts to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine.
The two men last spoke on June 14, in a call mostly focused on Iran.
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The Independent
23 minutes ago
- The Independent
PHOTO ESSAY: Iranians struggled with quiet moments of fear and anxiety for 12 days of war
For 12 days, Tehran fell dark and silent, except for the sound of explosions. In their houses and apartments, Iranians tried to pass the hours — sleepless, eyes on the TV for news of the war. A series of images document the moments in which residents of Iran's capital struggled to hold onto something familiar amid the uncertainty. They were taken by a freelance photographer and obtained by The Associated Press outside of Iran. The AP is publishing them on condition of anonymity over fears for the photographer's safety. The photos, made under unpredictable and often unsafe conditions amid evacuation alerts and falling missiles, show the tension between normalcy and chaos. Israel said its campaign aimed to cripple Iran's nuclear facilities, which its officials maintain are for peaceful means. Israel's strikes also pounded buildings around Tehran, while Iran fired back with barrages into Israel. A ceasefire began June 24. For 12 days, Tehran was transformed. The city normally bustles at all hours, its highways packed with cars and apartment towers lit up. During the war, most of the population fled. At night, blackness descended on the city. Those who remained largely stayed indoors. Outside their windows came the rhythm of explosions — sometimes distant, sometimes close enough to shake them — and the crackle of air defenses. One night, a group of friends gathered for dinner at a Tehran home. The table was full, the atmosphere warm. Guests joked with one another. But even as they dished up food and sat down in the living room to eat, everyone was glued to the television for any news. The next night, one of the largest and most powerful explosions in Tehran struck a short distance from where they had gathered. For Sara, a 9-year-old Afghan girl, reading and drawing in her sketchbook helped her endure the days at home. She sat on the living room floor with her markers, turning to see the TV. Her family fled to Iran to escape the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan four years ago; now during Israel's campaign, they were living through a new war. The family stayed inside not just for fear of strikes. They also worried they might be detained and deported amid wartime suspicion of Afghan refugees among some. 'Afghanistan is my homeland, and so is Iran. I have two countries that feel like one,' Sara said. On one page of her sketchbook, she wrote, 'Mursal, I love you, my dear' — a message for her best friend, whose family fled back to Afghanistan during the bombardment. Sara and others are only being identified by their first names out of concern for their security. During the day, some might step outside between blasts, capturing smoke rising in the distance with their phones. After one strike hit a building, a puddle of blood remained on the street. Evacuation alerts often came late at night. Some people spent nights in subway stations for safety. They lay down sheets and blankets on the tile floor or sat on the steps, scrolling through their phones as fighter jets and explosions could be heard on the streets above. Maryam and daughter Mastaneh live in a middle-class Tehran neighborhood. During the war, their usually active home fell quiet; both became anxious and withdrawn. Before the war, Maryam would wake at 6 a.m., go to the gym, then head to work at a hotel. But once the bombardment began, the hotel closed. Maryam's workout routine fell apart. She couldn't sleep at night and wound up waking late in the day. Depressed and exhausted, she couldn't bring herself to do housework. Meanwhile Mastaneh, a university student studying French, struggled with the internet cutoffs that made it nearly impossible to take her online final exams. One explosion from a strike blasted only a few blocks away. The war's final day was the most terrifying, Maryam said, as the sound of explosions never stopped.
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
Strict new rules rolled out across France that could see you fined £116 on the beach this summer
FRANCE has always been a holiday favourite for Brits and continues to be one - but there is a new strict rule to look out for. And its already been rolled out across the country and could see you fined £116 on the beach this summer. 4 The new French rules 4 France has banned smoking in all outdoor areas frequented by children from the 1st of July. This includes parks, beaches, public gardens, bus stops, school entrances, and sports venues. And if you break the rule - even as a tourist - you will face a fine of 90 euros if you pay within 15 days, going up to 135 euros (around £116) after that. The new measure is part of President Emmanuel Macron's pledge to create 'the first tobacco-free generation' by 2032. 'France is positioning itself as one of Europe's most proactive countries in terms of tobacco control,' Raquel Venâncio, senior policy officer at Smoke Free Partnership, a coalition of European tobacco control advocacy groups, told CNN. Not everyone in France is happy about the new rule 4 'The more time goes by, the more the government wants to take away our basic freedoms,' Elise Levaux, a 25-year-old student in Paris, told CNN. 'If you're being respectful — not throwing away cigarette butts in a park or beach, not disturbing others — I don't see the problem. "Why should smoking suddenly be treated like a crime?' Another said: "I've been smoking since I was 14. 'Most of my friends started just as young. Fine or no fine, we're going to continue smoking. "It's part of the French identity — we fight for what we want. We're not robots.' France has almost 23,000 licensed tabacs — tobacco shops that occupy the corners of many urban streets. CNN approached a dozen of them in Paris seeking their view on the new law, but none wanted to speak. But in a statement shared with CNN, Minister of Health Catherine Vautrin said that 'protecting youth and denormalizing smoking' is an 'absolute priority' for the government. 'At 17, you should be building your future, not your addiction, Where there are children, tobacco must disappear. 'Tobacco is poison. It kills, it costs, it pollutes. I refuse to give up the fight. Every day without tobacco is a life gained. "Our goal is clear: a tobacco-free generation — and we have the means to achieve it.' The new rule does not ban e-cigarettes Unlike Belgium and the United Kingdom, which recently prohibited the sale of disposable vapes, France's new rules do not ban e-cigarettes reports Accuweather. The new regulations do, however, include a reduction in authorized nicotine levels in vaping products, as well as strict limits on flavours like cotton candy, which critics say are designed to appeal to young people. 'These products serve as gateways to addiction and will be regulated, starting in 2026,' Vautrin said. Tobacco use remains the leading preventable health risk in the European Union, causing nearly 700,000 premature deaths each year, according to EU figures. In France alone, it accounts for 75,000 deaths each year — equivalent to 200 deaths per day, according to the country's health ministry. Beyond the direct toll on smokers and those around them, tobacco products also pose an environmental hazard. An estimated 20,000 to 25,000 tons of cigarette butts are discarded across France each year, according to the Ministry of Health.
The Sun
24 minutes ago
- The Sun
Dramatic footage reveals moment Julio Cesar Chavez Jr is arrested by ICE just days after losing Jake Paul fight
DRAMATIC footage has captured the moment boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr was arrested by ICE for his alleged involvement in organized crime. It came just days after the former middleweight world champion was beaten by YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in California. 5 5 5 Chavez Jr - son of the legendary Julio Cesar Sr - was arrested in Los Angeles and faces deportation back to Mexico. Police cam footage has emerged of the 39-year-old being arrested by ICE agents - put in cuffs and chained up. US officials say he is affiliated with the notorious Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel - helping with "trafficking firearms, ammunition, and explosives". Homeland Security posted his mugshot and wrote: "On July 2, ICE arrested Mexican boxer and criminal illegal alien Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. "He is now being processed for expedited removal from the United States. "This Sinaloa Cartel affiliate has an active arrest warrant in Mexico for his involvement in organized crime and trafficking firearms, ammunitions and explosives. "Under President Trump, NO ONE is above the law—including world-famous athletes. "Our message to any cartel affiliates in the U.S. is clear: We will find you and you will face consequences. "The days of unchecked cartel violence are over." President Donald Trump designated the Sinaloa Cartel as a terrorist organization on his first day back in office in January. Chavez Jr's wife Frida Munoz was previously married to the son of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. El Chapo is serving a life sentence in a U.S. prison and his son Edgar was assassinated in 2008. Describing Chavez Jr's alleged connection, the statement says he applied for US permanent residency last year due to his marriage to a US citizen "who is connected to the Sinaloa Cartel through a prior relationship with the now-deceased son of the infamous cartel leader Joaquin 'El Chapo' Guzman". In January 2024, Chavez Jr was arrested in LA and later convicted for illegal possession of an assault weapon. A year earlier, a local judge issued an arrest warrant against him for allegedly trafficking weapons for a criminal organisation. He also allegedly made multiple fraudulent statements to US immigration authorities in attempts to gain permanent residency and over-stayed a tourist visa that expired last February. A lawyer for Chavez Jr called his arrest "nothing more than another headline to terrorise the Latin community". Lawyer Michael Goldstein told NBC,: "This is the first we've ever heard of these outrageous allegations." Chavez Jr won the WBC title in 2011 and made three defenses of the belt but his later career has been plagued with scandals and a lack of discipline. His record is now 54-7-1 after losing over ten rounds to Paul in Anaheim. 5 5
