Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran in January, minus a mutual defence clause
FILE PHOTO: The Russian flag flies on the dome of the Kremlin Senate building behind Spasskaya Tower in Moscow, Russia June 2, 2025. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina/ File Photo
International news via Reuters:
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it saw that Israel did not want mediation efforts over its conflict with Iran, now in its fifth day amid what Moscow said was “galloping escalation”.
Israel launched its air war with a surprise attack last week that has killed nearly the entire top echelon of Iran’s military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists. Iran has responded with a barrage of strikes on Israeli cities.
In a call with reporters, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called on both sides to exercise “maximum restraint”.
“The situation is continuing to escalate rapidly. The level of unpredictability is absolute,” he said.
Peskov said that Russia’s offer to mediate between the warring sides if necessary still stood, but that it saw Israel was for now not interested in seeking a peaceful solution.
Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran in January, but the pact does not include a mutual defence clause. It also has longstanding ties with Israel, though these have been strained by the war in Ukraine and Israel’s bombing of Gaza.
Peskov said the Russian embassy in Tehran was coordinating with Russian citizens and providing them with opportunities to evacuate the country via neighbouring Azerbaijan.
Reporting by Dmitry Antonov, Writing by Lucy Papachristou and Felix LightEditing by Andrew Osborn
The plan to rid Oxford Street of cars and buses, which has been over twenty years in the making
Taxis drive along London’s Oxford Street as it has been announced that the area will be pedestrianised in a move designed to smarten up the area and create a new public space to help drive growth, in London, Britain, June 16, 2025. REUTERS/Chris J. Ratcliffe
International news via Reuters:
London’s Oxford Street, one of Britain’s busiest and most famous shopping districts, will be pedestrianised, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said on Tuesday, in a move designed to smarten up the area and create a new public space to help drive growth.
The plan to rid Oxford Street of cars and buses, which has been over twenty years in the making, looks set to become a reality after consultations on proposals published in September showed a majority of Londoners and businesses back the idea.
Supporters of pedestrianising the mile-long stretch in central London say similar traffic-free schemes for Times Square in New York and La Rambla in Barcelona have breathed new life into tired areas.
“We want to rejuvenate Oxford Street; establish it as a global leader for shopping, leisure and outdoor events with a world-class, accessible, pedestrianised avenue,” Khan said in a statement announcing the results of the public consultation.
Oxford Street attracts around half a million visitors every day, according to the mayor’s office, but many flagship stores including House of Fraser and Topshop have shut in recent years, and Khan said the area had been neglected.
He will now work with the government on legislation to go traffic-free, which would happen “as quickly as possible”. That will require finding new routes for the dozens of buses which travel down it each hour.
The government has said Khan’s plan for a new “beautiful public space” which will attract more tourists, drive new investment in the area and create jobs.
Reporting by Sarah Young; editing by William James
Officers target problem areas along Frog Lane in Devonshire and Pitt’s Bay Road
Image credit: BPS
Police issued the following advisory.
The Bermuda Police Service (BPS) wishes to remind the public that parking violations, sidewalk parking in particular, along Frog Lane in Devonshire and illegal parking on Pitt’s Bay Road, will be subject to ongoing enforcement and ticketing especially during events held at nearby venues.
We acknowledge past concerns raised about inconsistency in how parking infractions in these areas have been handled. The BPS takes such feedback seriously and is committed to applying traffic regulations fairly and uniformly not only at these two locations, but across the island.
Effective immediately, officers will be proactively monitoring and enforcing parking restrictions during public events. This action is being taken to ensure public safety, maintain access for emergency vehicles, and reduce congestion.
Please understand there may be instances where officers are involved with incidents which take priority over parking violations and it may may be a while before they get around to addressing these violations.
Should you see parking violations occurring, we urge you to assist us in getting to them by calling 295-0011 and reporting these infractions. While posting on social media will get attention, calling us will result in action being taken.
Motorists are urged to adhere to all parking regulations.
The BPS appreciates the cooperation of the public in this matter.
Inaugural session set for June 26 at BUEI will explore Bermuda’s energy future, featuring expert insights and public Q&A
BELCO today issued the following media release.
Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (“BELCO”) is launching a new education series, The Energy Equation, with its inaugural public presentation on Bermuda’s energy future scheduled for Thursday, 26 June 2025. The presentation will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Tradewinds Auditorium at the Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute (BUEI).
In order to understand the energy future, we must understand the current energy landscape in Bermuda. The presentation will feature comprehensive insights into BELCO’s current operations and future vision. Managing Director Nadir Wade will discuss current BELCO operations in Bulk Generation, while Managing Director Shelly Leman will talk about operations in Transmission and Distribution.
Energy expert, Dr. Jeffrey Steynor, BELCO’s Director of Energy Transition & Business Development, will be the keynote speaker and will discuss BELCO’s vision for Bermuda’s energy future along with viable large-scale energy options currently available to Bermuda. He will explain the balancing act between reliability, economic stability and environmental stewardship required to meet stakeholder needs and move toward a more sustainable energy future.
The free presentation will include a Q&A session where attendees can ask questions directly. Registration is required at belco.bm due to limited seating for 135 participants. Early registration is encouraged.
“Bermuda is at a critical juncture in determining our energy future for the coming decades,” said Dr. Steynor. “There’s no single solution—we’ll need multiple energy sources and careful planning to ensure reliable, affordable electricity while moving toward sustainability. This
collaborative effort requires all stakeholders’ participation. I encourage the public to attend, ask questions, and engage in this important conversation.”
Exciting news for Bermuda sports fans this weekend!
The Bermuda Tourism Authority is teaming up with top NFL talent for a flag football training weekend, marking a fresh addition to the island’s sports tourism strategy.
NFL quarterbacks Justin Fields and Tyrod Taylor of the New York Jets, along with renowned quarterback coach Quincy Avery, are on the island for a four-day visit. They’ll host an open training session this Sunday, June 15th, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the National Sports Centre – North Field.
Kendal Trott was there.
Tyrod Taylor and coach Quincy Avery spoke with Kendal Trott about their experience on the island, noting the enthusiasm of the local community.
Avery also shared news about his new film on Hulu, which explores his coaching journey and the growing global popularity of flag football ahead of its 2028 Olympic debut.
The public can expect major impacts on Routes 10 and 11
Government update via press release:
The Department of Public Transportation [DPT] advises of impacts to bus service on National Heroes Day, Monday 16 June 2025 due to extensive road closures required for Bermuda Carnival.”
The Holiday bus schedule will be in effect and although several routes will be impacted, major impacts are expected for Routes 10 and 11. The public is also advised that due to the nature of the event, the detours will shift throughout the day and evening until all roads are reopened by authorities.
For details of the detours, please refer to the information attached and also www.gov.bm. DPT wishes you a safe and enjoyable National Heroes Day.
The second major rally in a month drew an estimated 150,000 people to The Hague
Demonstrators protest against conditions in Gaza and demand that the caretaker government impose sanctions against Israel, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 15 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
International news via Reuters:
Tens of thousands of protesters, including families with children, gathered in the Netherlands on Sunday to oppose Israel’s siege of Gaza and the Dutch government’s policy on the war.
Demonstrators protest against conditions in Gaza and demand that the caretaker government impose sanctions against Israel, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 15 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
The second major rally in a month drew an estimated 150,000 people to The Hague, according to organisers. Participants dressed in red to create a “red line” against ongoing Israel attacks and alleged war crimes against Palestinians.
Demonstrators sang, held speeches and marched past the International Court of Justice, which is hearing a case brought by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide. Last year the court ordered Israel to halt a military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah and allow access for humanitarian aid.
Demonstrators protest against conditions in Gaza and demand that the caretaker government impose sanctions against Israel, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 15 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
Israel rejects allegations of war crimes and genocide, and says its campaign is in self defence, targeting Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The war in Gaza began 20 months ago after Hamas-led militants raided Israel and took 251 hostages and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, on October 7, 2023.
Israel’s military campaign since has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to health authorities in Gaza, and flattened much of the densely populated strip, which is home to more than two million people. Most of the population is displaced, and malnutrition is widespread.
Demonstrators protest against conditions in Gaza and demand that the caretaker government impose sanctions against Israel, in The Hague, Netherlands, June 15 2025. REUTERS/Piroschka van de Wouw
In May, now caretaker Dutch Foreign Affairs Minister Caspar Veldkamp asked the European Union to reconsider cooperation agreements with Israel. Demonstrators on Sunday called for the caretaker government to speak out against what they said were ongoing violations of international law by Israel.
The Dutch government, which collapsed on June 3, has so far refrained from outright criticism of Israel. Anti-Muslim populist Geert Wilders, whose far right party led the last government, has repeatedly voiced unwavering support for Israel.
Reporting by Piroschka van de Wouw. Writing by Anthony Deutsch. Editing by Mark Potter
The helicopter was headed to Guptkashi from the shrine of Kedarnath
Members of rescue teams work at the site of a chopper crash in the Gaurikund area of the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, India, June 15, 2025. State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) Uttarakhand/Handout via REUTERS
International news via Reuters:
All seven people on a helicopter in northern India were killed early on Sunday when it crashed while ferrying passengers on a popular Hindu pilgrimage route in the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand, officials said.
The helicopter was headed to Guptkashi from the shrine of Kedarnath, said the state’s director-general of information, Bansidhar Tripathi.
The Uttarakhand government ordered helicopter services to Kedarnath Valley suspended until Monday due to bad weather, Tripathi said. There have been three emergency landings and two helicopter crashes on the same route in the past month and a half, he said.
“Very sad news has been received about a helicopter crash in Rudraprayag district,” the state’s chief minister, Pushkar Singh Dhami, posted on X, adding that the State Disaster Response Force, local administration and other rescue teams were engaged in relief and rescue operations.
Dhami said in a statement he has ordered an inquiry into the cause of the crash.
The authorities will also examine helicopter pilots and operators, and “only those pilots who have long experience of flying helicopters in high Himalayan regions will be allowed,” he said.
Helicopter service for the pilgrimage will be resumed only after a meeting with all helicopter operators, Dhami said.
The Bell 407 helicopter, operated by Aryan Aviation, took off at 5:19 a.m. (2349 GMT on Saturday), India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement.
Calls to Aryan Aviation seeking comment went unanswered.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit Uttarakhand’s Himalayan mountains every year, drawn by the belief that deities such as Lord Shiva and Lord Vishnu reside here.
Kedarnath is a part of the Char Dham Yatra pilgrimage route of four temple towns, which also include Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
India has reduced the frequency of helicopter operations to Char Dham and is enhancing surveillance and reviewing operations for any further action, the aviation ministry said.
Reporting by Saurabh Sharma in Lucknow and Rishabh Jaiswal in Bengaluru; Writing by Nidhi Verma; Editing by William Mallard
President Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the mineral-rich island
FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron holds a press conference, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Friday, June 13, 2025. Michel Euler/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
International news via Reuters:
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Greenland on Sunday, in a show of solidarity with Denmark meant to send a signal of European resolve after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to take over the island.
Greenland is a self-governing part of the Kingdom of Denmark with the right to declare independence. Both the Greenland and Danish governments say it is not for sale and only Greenlanders can determine their future.
President Donald Trump has said he wants the United States to take over the mineral-rich, strategically located Arctic island, and has not ruled out force. His vice president, JD Vance, visited a U.S. military base there in March.
Macron, the first foreign leader to visit Greenland since Trump’s explicit threats to “get” the island, was invited by the prime ministers of Greenland and Denmark. He has said his visit is meant to prevent any “preying” on the territory.
“France has stood by us since the first statements about taking our land emerged. This support is both necessary and gratifying,” Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen wrote on Facebook days ahead of Macron’s visit.
Asked if Macron would deliver an explicit message to the United States during his visit, an adviser to Macron told reporters: “The trip is a signal in itself,” without mentioning Trump.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told RTL radio on Sunday: “Greenland is a European territory and it is normal that Europe and notably France show their interest.”
According to an IFOP poll for NYC.eu published on Saturday, 77% of the French and 56% of Americans disapprove of an annexation of Greenland by the U.S. and 43% of the French would approve using French military power to prevent a U.S. invasion.
Macron will visit the capital Nuuk, as well as a hydropower station funded by the EU and a glacier, and discuss Arctic security and climate change with his hosts.
Though Denmark is an EU member, Greenland is outside the bloc. The French adviser said the visit would be an opportunity to discuss how to give Greenland’s association partnership with the EU a “new dimension”.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen made several visits to Paris after Trump’s threats to seek French and European backing, and has placed orders for French-made surface-to-air missiles, in a shift of focus for Copenhagen.
Enlisting the EU’s only nuclear power is a way for Denmark, long one of Washington’s most loyal allies in Europe, to project a form of hard power towards a suddenly more aggressive United States, said Florian Vidal of the Paris-based IFRI think tank.
“The Trump administration’s more aggressive posture is a shock that makes the French vision of Europe, one that is more autonomous, appear more reasonable for Denmark,” he said. “From a Nordic point of view, France is a military power that counts.”
Reporting by Michel Rose in Paris and Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen; additional reporting by Andreas Rinke in Berlin and Dominique Vidalon in Paris; editing by Sophie Walker
Trump summoned 700 Marines from California who were trained to help in the L.A. mission
U.S. Marines stand guard as people protest against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies and federal immigration sweeps during a No Kings Day demonstration in Los Angeles, California, U.S., June 14, 2025. REUTERS/David Ryder
International news via Reuters:
About 50 U.S. Marines squared off against hundreds of protesters in front of a federal building in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday, with the crowd yelling in unison for them to go home.
The Marines had been sent to the city by U.S. President Donald Trump along with federalized members of the California National Guard earlier this week over the objections of the state governor and the city’s mayor, as anger over immigration raids drew thousands of demonstrators into the streets.
Jesus Arias, a Los Angeles-based attorney, was at the front of the crowd with a bullhorn, working to convince the Marines to abandon their post.
“We are not your enemy, we are the people!” Arias said into the bullhorn as the Marines looked on. “You are breaking the oaths you took to be Marines. Wake up! Wake up!”
California Governor Gavin Newsom and local leaders have called Trump’s move an inflammatory provocation for the protests over the past week – demonstrations that the local sheriff on Friday said were 99% peaceful, with a only a handful of people engaged in violence and vandalism.
Trump summoned 700 Marines from California who were trained to help in the L.A. mission, including de-escalation and crowd control.
The deployment sparked a debate about the use of the military on U.S. soil given Marines are trained for conflicts around the world rather than at home, but the Trump administration has defended its move by citing the need to maintain law and order. Trump, who is carrying out a campaign promise to deport illegal immigrants, has argued that Los Angeles would have burned down if he had not acted quickly.
The Marines were armed with M4 rifles and wore face shields and the same shin guards used by baseball catchers. They stood guard at the top of steps leading to the entrance of the Roybal federal building, which houses immigration offices and where ICE has held some undocumented detainees. The building has been a flashpoint for protesters all week.
Just down the steps about 15 feet away, hundreds of protesters confronted the Marines, yelling in unison “Marines go home!” and “Shame! Shame!”
Several protesters hurled insults and invectives at the Marines, who did not react. Some in the crowd were telling them to take a knee or to join their demonstration. As of 4 p.m., there had been no physical altercation between the protesters and Marines.
Kai Ly, a 45-year-old a Los Angeles resident, was in the crowd.
“This is such a sad moment in time for the U.S.,” Ly said. “It’s sad to see that we’re so divided that we have Marines heading off against protesters.”
Antoinette Gutierrez, 36, was another Los Angeles resident protesting before the Marines.
“It’s disgusting to have the military, to have the Marines, turned against citizens,” she said. “It makes me embarrassed to be American.”
Reporting by Brad Brooks in Los Angeles; Editing by Mary Milliken and Deepa Babington
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