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- EU seeks talks with Taliban on deporting failed Afghan asylum-seekers
- South Korea’s ex-President Yoon sentenced to 30 years for drone operation
- Southeastern Saskatchewan begins recovery from flooding after heavy rainfall
- Muslim Immigrant hero who rescued girl from window ledge used cricket skills to catch her
- Trump states potential agreement with Iran could include opening Strait of Hormuz
- FIFA Fan Festival evacuated midway through World Cup opening game
- Riot police clash with protesters at World Cup opening ceremony
- IMF warns of worsening economic outlook for Russia amid shrinking growth
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EU seeks talks with Taliban on deporting failed Afghan asylum-seekers
5:00 am
EU seeks talks with Taliban on deporting failed Afghan asylum-seekers
Planned meeting
EU migration chief Magnus Brunner announced a forthcoming meeting in Brussels with Taliban officials to discuss the return of failed asylum-seekers to Afghanistan.
EU migration chief Magnus Brunner announced a forthcoming meeting in Brussels with Taliban officials to discuss the return of failed asylum-seekers to Afghanistan.
Repatriation Efforts
Approximately 20 of the EU’s 27 member states have shown interest in repatriating failed Afghan asylum-seekers, highlighting a significant shift in migration policy amidst heightened public demand.
Approximately 20 of the EU’s 27 member states have shown interest in repatriating failed Afghan asylum-seekers, highlighting a significant shift in migration policy amidst heightened public demand.
Brunner’s Defence
“It’s no option not to talk to these people in order to improve the situation,” stated Magnus Brunner, the EU’s commissioner for migration.
“It’s no option not to talk to these people in order to improve the situation,” stated Magnus Brunner, the EU’s commissioner for migration.
No option but to talk to Taliban about migrant returns, EU’s migration commissoner says
Published on
Europe has no other option than to talk to the Taliban government about returning failed asylum-seekers to Afghanistan, the EU’s migration chief said on Thursday, defending a planned meeting in Brussels that critics say would renege on the bloc’s values.
The European Commission has invited Taliban officials for discussions under a push to crack down on irregular migration and boost deportations, despite it not formally recognising the Taliban administration.
“It’s no option not to talk to these people in order to improve the situation,” Magnus Brunner, the EU’s commissioner for migration, told journalists.
Taliban officials were yet to be granted visas to visit Belgium and a date has not been set for the meeting but it has already caused an uproar in Brussels.
European governments shut their embassies in Kabul when the Taliban authorities returned to power in 2021 and imposed their strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Women must be almost entirely covered when they leave home and are banned from a host of public places, including parks and gyms, while girls’ education stops at age 12.
Rights groups have questioned the legality and ethics of returning migrants to a country that is in the midst of a severe humanitarian crisis, with millions facing hunger and economic hardship, according to the United Nations.
But Brunner said that talks were not tantamount to recognising the “Taliban regime” and that it was in Europe’s best interest to press ahead with them, citing interest from many member states.
“It is important to talk to them at least to improve the situation for Europeans, but also for asylum applicants, for asylum-seekers,” Brunner said.
The Belgian government told the AFP news agency the commission had given it the names of the Taliban officials expected to be part of the delegation, allowing for security services to start checks, but it was yet to receive any visa applications from them.
European governments have sought a tougher stance on migration as public opinion has hardened, fuelling far-right electoral gains across the continent.
With migrant arrivals down, the focus in Brussels has turned to improving the repatriation system.
EU countries received about a million asylum applications filed by Afghans between 2013-2024, according to the bloc’s data agency. About half as many were approved over the period.
Around 20 of the EU’s 27 member states expressed interest in returning some migrants without a right to stay, particularly those with criminal convictions, to Afghanistan in a letter last year.
Some countries have pushed ahead, with Germany deporting more than 100 Afghans with criminal convictions since 2024.
Additional sources • AFP
South Korea’s ex-President Yoon sentenced to 30 years for drone operation
4:00 am
Get you up to speed: South Korea’s ex-President Yoon gets 30 years over drone operation
South Korea’s ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to 30 years in prison by the Seoul Central District Court for sending military drones into North Korea, which prosecutors claimed aimed to create a pretext for martial law in 2024. Yoon, who denied any wrongdoing and was already in custody, can appeal the ruling.
Investigations reveal that the drone flights into North Korea were part of a broader strategy that prosecutors claimed involved fabricating wartime conditions. The ruling by the Seoul Central District Court is part of a series of legal challenges faced by Yoon Suk Yeol, who remains in custody and plans to appeal the decision.
The Seoul Central District Court has sentenced former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol to 30 years in prison for his involvement in sending military drones into North Korea, with the prosecution describing the act as an attempt to create a pretext for his martial law declaration. Yoon’s defence asserts his non-involvement in the drone operation, and he remains in custody with plans to appeal the ruling.
What remains unclear — It is not specified how Yoon intends to proceed with his appeal against the ruling.
South Korea’s ex-President Yoon sentenced to 30 years for drone operation
News|PoliticsSouth Korea’s ex-President Yoon gets 30 years over drone operation
Seoul court sentences former leader for sending military drones into North Korea.
By AFP and ReutersPublished On 12 Jun 202612 Jun 2026
South Korea’s ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sending military drones into North Korea, a move prosecutors argued was aimed at creating a pretext for his disastrous martial law declaration in 2024.
The drone flights, which Pyongyang said included the dropping of propaganda leaflets, triggered a spike in military tensions between the nations in October 2024.
Special prosecutors, who had sought a 30-year prison term for Yoon, said in April that the ex-leader’s effort to “fabricate wartime conditions” with the drones had undermined state security.
Yoon was “given 30 years in jail” for the charges involving the drones, a spokesperson for the Seoul Central District Court told the AFP news agency on Friday, without giving further details.
Yoon had denied wrongdoing.
The ruling adds to a series of judgements against the ousted conservative leader, once South Korea’s top prosecutor, whose martial law order plunged Asia’s fourth-largest economy into its deepest political turmoil in decades.
In February, a South Korean court sentenced Yoon to life in prison after finding him guilty of leading an insurrection linked to the martial law attempt.
He was removed from office last year after the Constitutional Court upheld his impeachment, triggering a snap election that was won by liberal President Lee Jae Myung.
Yoon’s lawyers said he neither ordered nor later approved the drone operation, which they said was unrelated to martial law and instead a response to months of North Korean launches across the border of balloons stuffed with rubbish.
Yoon, who is already in custody, can appeal Friday’s lower court ruling.
Drone flights remain a flashpoint in tensions between the two Koreas, which remain technically at war.
Lee expressed regret earlier this year after an investigation found government officials had sent drones into the nuclear-armed North Korea in January.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful sister called Lee’s statement “wise behaviour”, but hopes for a rapprochement faded after the diplomatically isolated nation returned to calling South Korea its “most hostile” enemy.
Southeastern Saskatchewan begins recovery from flooding after heavy rainfall
2:00 am
Get you up to speed: Southeastern Saskatchewan recovering from intense rainfall, flooding
A spring rainstorm impacted southeastern Saskatchewan, inundating a golf course in Esterhazy and flooding basements in Churchbridge. Immediate reports confirm significant water damage in these areas.
Emergency services are assessing the damage in Esterhazy and Churchbridge after significant flooding. Officials have noted that recovery efforts are expected to take several days as the area continues to deal with the aftermath of the storm.
Local authorities have issued flood warnings and are urging residents in affected areas to prepare for potential evacuations as heavy rainfall persists. The Saskatchewan government is coordinating emergency response efforts to assess damage and assist those displaced by the flooding.
What remains unclear — The extent of damage caused by the flooding in Churchbridge has not been assessed.
Southeastern Saskatchewan begins recovery from flooding after heavy rainfall
A spring rainstorm slammed parts of southeastern Saskatchewan, leaving a golf course in Esterhazy underwater and flooding basements in Churchbridge.
Muslim Immigrant hero who rescued girl from window ledge used cricket skills to catch her
1:25 am
A young girl who dangled for at least nine minutes from a window ledge in Ilford was saved by a ‘complete stranger’ – who said his cricket skills helped him catch her.
The three-year-old was spotted by onlookers clinging to a window on a flat above a pawnbroker’s on Ilford High Road, east London, on Tuesday afternoon.
Fortunately, she was brought to safety by a police officer and a civilian who rushed out of his home to save her.
A Muslim immigrant saved the day
Father-of-two Mohamed Jesil of South Asian decent, who arrived to the UK as immigrant, was brave and courageous as he came to the girl’s rescue, described how the little girl gave him a ‘big hug’ after he ran across rooftops to save her.
He said: ‘I ran out on instinct. I’m a dad of twins aged five months, and as a dad I just reacted. I wasn’t scared, I just didn’t think. I’m not a hero, I just did it as a dad seeing a child in trouble. There was massive relief when I managed to catch her; she didn’t say anything, just gave me a big hug. I’m so happy it could help.’
Jesin added that his cricket skills helped him catch the girl. He told Metro News: ‘I played cricket in India so that may have helped with my catching. I just knew I had to concentrate.’
Footage posted on social media showed bystanders screaming: ‘Hurry up,’ as a woman appears from a window below, calling and reaching out to her.
The youngster desperately tries to pull herself up as a police officer on a ledge below appears, looking helplessly at the girl.
Jesil then joins efforts to rescue the girl just as her grip begins to fail, and a passerby can be seen below carrying a step ladder.
The men then position themselves directly below the girl and gasps can be heard from the crowd as she falls.
Jesil caught her, with the officer steadying them both as he wobbled and onlookers cheered and clapped below.
‘Well done!’ one shouted. ‘The baby got saved, my God,’ another added.
‘We are so relieved. They saved our child’
The girl’s father described the policeman and the second man who caught her as ‘amazing heroes’.
He also said that his daughter was ‘fine’ and would be going to school following the ordeal.
He said that the man who helped the officer in the rescue was a ‘complete stranger’ to them.
He said: ‘They were both amazing. They were heroes. We are so relieved. They saved our child.
‘She is fine thanks to them. We are very grateful. She will be going to school again today [and] we would like to say thanks to those people.’
Mohamed Jesil was at home in Ilford, east London, on Tuesday afternoon when he heard the commotion outside. A 3-year-old girl was clinging to a window ledge on a flat above a pawnbroker's on Ilford High Road, and a crowd had gathered below on the street watching her grip slip.… pic.twitter.com/gtlqjtAorx
— Thought Catalog (@ThoughtCatalog) June 11, 2026
Trump states potential agreement with Iran could include opening Strait of Hormuz
1:00 am
Get you up to speed: Potential agreement with Iran would include opening of Strait of Hormuz, Trump says
President Trump announced the possibility of signing a deal with Iran over the weekend, following earlier statements about potential attacks on civilian infrastructure and energy facilities. The documents involved in the negotiations are reportedly in “pretty final shape.”
Officials have not confirmed whether the expected deal will include provisions for the management of Iran’s energy facilities. The timeline for the signing remains unclear, with additional details pending from the White House.
President Trump indicated that a deal regarding Iran could be finalised over the weekend, suggesting optimism for diplomatic engagement despite previous statements about attacking civilian infrastructure. As discussions continue, attention will be focused on the implications for U.S.-Iran relations and the potential impact on global energy markets.
What remains unclear — It is not specified what terms are included in the potential deal or the timeline for its signing.
Trump states potential agreement with Iran could include opening Strait of Hormuz
FIFA Fan Festival evacuated midway through World Cup opening game
12:55 am
FIFA’s Fan Festival in Toronto was forced to carry out an emergency evacuation midway through Mexico’s World Cup opener against South Africa on Thursday night.
Thousands of people had turned up to watch the first match of the World Cup on the big screen in the Fort York grounds in Toronto.
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An embarrassing week for Gianni Infantino has led to a calamitous first day of the World Cup 2026. World Cup 2026 has been the worst in history, where everything is going wrong.
However, shortly before half-time, the game was abruptly stopped on the big screen and replaced with a message which read: ‘Cancellation of show’.
‘This decision was made out of an abundance of caution for our fans’ safety and we appreciate your understanding.’
As the crowd began to boo, an announcement was made as confused supporters were told: ‘May I have your attention, please. Unfortunately the Canadian FIFA Fan Festival will be cancelled for today due to extreme weather conditions.
A statement released by the Fan Festival organisers in Toronto read: ‘Out of an abundance of caution, the FIFA Fan Festival Toronto is being evacuated due to risk of lightning.
Disappointed fans at the Toronto FIFA Fan Fest are being escorted out by organizers after it was announced the event had been cancelled for the day due to bad weather. This occurred as Mexico and South African fans gathered to cheer on their teams in Toronto during the… https://t.co/ldlqmTfbwm pic.twitter.com/2wt2MlOsoE
— Now Toronto (@nowtoronto) June 11, 2026
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