Putin says he is ‘grateful’ to Trump but sees no reason to meet Zelensky
Russian president Vladimir Putin said on Friday he currently saw no reason to meet Volodymyr Zelensky after the Ukrainian president published an open letter proposing they hold face-to-face talks to agree an end to the war.
In his letter, which was sent to other countries, including the United States, Mr Zelensky said the majority of Russians had grown tired of Ukrainian missile and drone attacks, high inflation and fuel shortages, and were ready for peace.
He also suggested that continuing the war could threaten Mr Putin’s own position, saying that history had shown that when Russia got tired change followed.
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Speaking at an annual economic forum in St Petersburg, Mr Putin said the letter did not come across as a sincere offer to hold talks.
Russian president Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Chinese vice president Han Zheng on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (Reuters)
“This letter contains some rather rude remarks. Was it a way to create the conditions for a face-to-face meeting or a way not to set up a face-to-face meeting? I think it was the latter,” said Mr Putin.
Asked whether he would meet Mr Zelensky, Mr Putin was blunt: “I don’t see the point in meeting; the only point is for the Ukrainian side to halt the advance of our armed forces.
But we need agreements – not for six months, not for three months, but for the long term.
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“In the open letter, “he mentioned my age, but the main thing is not an age, but ability to work,” said Mr Putin.
“I don’t understand why Ukraine does not want to see the Trump administration as a guarantor of peace talks,” he added. “I am grateful to Donald, but there is some work to do.”
Namita Singh6 June 2026 04:44
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Putin’s response to meeting proposal shows he does not want to end war, says Zelensky
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s rejection of his proposal for a meeting to end more than four years of conflict showed that the Kremlin had no wish to end the war.
“Unfortunately, the Russian side is once again choosing war – everyone hear the response. A weak response,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address. “I think this response will have disappointed many in the world.”
“He does not want to change anything, and he does not want to admit that this war appeals only to him – and to those who are making money off him. They were all smiling very broadly today.
“That means Russia must have less money, and there must be more pressure on Russia,” he said.
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Namita Singh6 June 2026 07:25
Armenia prepares for an election that could reshape ties with Moscow and the West
Armenia’s parliamentary elections on Sunday will be a vote on its geopolitical future as incumbent prime minister Nikol Pashinyan seeks closer relations with the European Union and the United States despite longstanding ties with Russia that have been championed by his critics.
Many analysts favour Mr Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party to retain control of the parliament, but with many opposition parties running on pro-Russia platforms, the Caucasus nation’s place on the international stage has been thrown into the spotlight.
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Supporters of Russian-Armenian tycoon Samvel Karapetyan, wave a Armenian national flag during a rally against incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia, Wednesday, 3 June 2026 (AP)
In the months ahead of the election, Russian president Vladimir Putin and other Russian officials have warned Armenia that joining the EU could come at the expense of massive economic damage by disrupting Armenian trade ties with Moscow and its allies.
“These are the first elections in Armenia’s history where geopolitical orientation has become a decisive issue,” Mikayel Zolyan, an analyst and former member of the Armenian parliament, told the Associated Press from Yerevan.
“Until now, Armenia has remained within Russia’s sphere of influence, and this was taken for granted, but now, for the first time, this is being called into question.”Relations between Moscow and Armenia soured in 2023 after Azerbaijan took control of the entire Karabakh region.
The mountainous region had been controlled for decades by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia, part of a long conflict between the neighbouring countries.
Armenian authorities accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to the region of failing to stop Azerbaijan’s onslaught. Moscow, busy with the conflict in Ukraine, has rejected the accusations, arguing its troops didn’t have a mandate to intervene.
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“It turned out that Russia’s image as a guarantor of Armenian security was not based in reality, and it all collapsed after the Karabakh war,” said Alexander Iskandaryan, director of the Caucasus Institute in Yerevan.
Mr Pashinyan has begun cautiously weakening ties with Moscow, joining the International Criminal Court in 2023 and suspending its participation in the Moscow-dominated Collective Security Treaty Organisation in 2024.
Namita Singh6 June 2026 07:06
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Montenegro is ‘within reach’ of joining the EU by 2028, von der Leyen says after Balkans summit
Montenegro is on track to become a member of the European Union by 2028, the bloc’s leaders and the Balkan country’s president said on Friday following a summit focused on expanding the EU to include other countries in the region.
Ukraine and Moldova are also among about 10 countries aspiring to join the bloc, while Iceland will hold a referendum in August on whether to apply.
Leaders from across the EU were joined by their Western Balkan counterparts in Montenegro’s Adriatic Sea coastal town of Tivat, where they discussed the bloc’s enlargement into a region seen as a key area in countering security and economic threats posed by Russia and China.
Montenegro’s president Jakov Milatovic speaks to journalists at a press conference in the Naval Heritage Museum during the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, Montenegro, 5 June 2026 (Reuters)
The summit brought together leaders including president Emmanuel Macron of France and German chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen as well as the heads of Balkan candidate countries.
High on the agenda was Montenegro’s EU accession, a process that is approaching its final stages and which von der Leyen said Friday was “within reach.”“If I had to sum up this summit in two words, they would be determination and confidence,” Ms von der Leyen told a news conference.
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“Confidence that our union will grow in the years ahead.”
The EU has already formed a working group to draft an accession treaty for Montenegro, whose president, Jakov Milatovic, said the summit had given him “even greater confidence” that his country will fulfill its aim of joining the EU by 2028.
Namita Singh6 June 2026 06:40
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Romania deploys helicopters to search for more drones as 1,300 people evacuated
Raed Arafat, the head of Romania’s Department for Emergency Situations, told a news conference on Friday morning that helicopters had been deployed to search for more drones and that the authorities had issued text message alerts to residents.
The measure came after a Ukrainian maritime drone used against Russia exploded at a black sea port in Romania.
“There is a possibility that there may be other drones,” he said.
A small military patrol boat sails past the Romanian frigate Marasesti docked in the military port of Constanta following the explosion of a maritime drone in the Black Sea port of Constanta, Romania, Friday, 5 June 2026 (AP)
“We are not panicking. These are preventive measures. If there are other drones, we want to make sure there is not another explosion in an area where people are not evacuated.”
After the port explosion, more than 1,300 people were evacuated from several Black Sea beaches and the routes leading to them were temporarily blocked. Just before 3pm, the emergency authorities announced they had suspended evacuation measures.
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Namita Singh6 June 2026 05:56
A Ukrainian maritime drone explodes at a Romanian Black Sea port
A Ukrainian maritime drone that was being used in the country’s war against Russia exploded on Friday at a Black Sea port in Romania, while three other sea drones exploded outside the port, Romanian authorities said. No one was injured.
The drone that self-detonated in the port of Constanta exploded at around 10.30am, after the area had been secured and isolated by the Romanian intelligence service, coast guard and the defence ministry, authorities said.
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“Immediately after identifying the drone, the Ministry of Defence contacted its Ukrainian counterparts, who confirmed that they had lost control of the operation of four drones,” the Romanian government said in a statement. “The other three drones self-detonated – two offshore and the third outside the port.”
Smoke rises after an explosion as a marine drone self-detonated in Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta near an oil terminal, without causing any casualties, according to the defence ministry, in Constanta, Romania 5 June 2026 (Reuters)
“Confirmation of these events came from both the Ukrainian side and from data obtained by the Romanian authorities,” it added.
Romanian president Nicusor Dan said in a statement online that the Ukrainian forces “lost control of the assets as a result of electronic warfare actions by Russia,” likely jamming, and that the drone’s incursion into “Romanian sovereign space is a direct consequence of the war waged by Russia” against Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Navy confirmed in a statement that it had lost control of an unmanned naval boat “while performing tasks in the Black Sea operational zone,” and that its military was in contact with Romanian authorities “to prevent losses among the civilian population”.
Namita Singh6 June 2026 05:43
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Zelensky says Putin’s response to meeting proposal shows he does not want to end war
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s rejection of his proposal for a meeting to end more than four years of conflict showed that the Kremlin had no wish to end the war.
In this photo provided by Ukraine’s 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Separate Mechanised Brigade press service, a soldier reacts as an MRLS BM-21 Grad fires at the Russian positions near Kostiantynivka, Donetsk region, Ukraine, Thursday, 4 June 2026 (AP)
“Unfortunately, the Russian side is once again choosing war – everyone hear the response. A weak response,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
“I think this response will have disappointed many in the world.”
Namita Singh6 June 2026 05:34
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How significant is Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
The Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant is Europe’s largest with six reactors. Seized by Russian troops in the early weeks of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, each side has since accused the other of undertaking military actions to compromise nuclear safety.
The plant’s Russian-installed management accused Ukraine on Thursday of deploying more than 20 drones to attack a nearby thermal plant vital to supplying the facility with external power.
The plant generates no electricity, but needs external power to ensure that nuclear fuel at the site does not overheat.
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A Russian serviceman stands guard the territory outside the second reactor of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Energodar on 1 May 2022 (AFP/Getty)
The latest ceasefire was the sixth negotiated since late last year to carry out repairs to the power lines. In its statement, the IAEA said the plant’s second external power line was also down following attacks on two electrical substations located on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River from the nuclear plant.
The facility was relying on diesel generators as it did for a month last year in similar circumstances.
Namita Singh6 June 2026 05:19
Russia’s Rosatom says Ukrainian drone hit engineers demining areas around Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant
Russia’s nuclear energy corporation Rosatom yesterday said that a Ukrainian drone had deliberately struck engineers demining an area around the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, injuring at least three people.
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Rosatom said the incident occurred at the start of a ceasefire around the plant, brokered by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, to restore the main external power line to the plant.
“The strike was clearly calculated,” Rosatom head Alexei Likachev said in comments posted on social media. “Three of our engineers were injured. Two are in serious condition.”
A view shows Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from the bank of Kakhovka Reservoir near the town of Nikopol after the Nova Kakhovka dam breached, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine 16 June 2023 (Reuters)
“The international community must know of the continuing attempts to inflict maximum damage on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, on the personnel responsible for ensuring its safety… despite the agreements that have been reached.”
In a separate statement, Rosatom said five people were hurt.
The IAEA said it had been informed of the incident by the plant’s Russia-installed management, and its director general Rafael Grossi, writing on X, called for maximum military restraint and full adherence to the ceasefire.
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There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Namita Singh6 June 2026 05:05
Putin held ‘friendly one-on-one meeting’ with Germany’s Schroeder, Kremlin says
Russian president Vladimir Putin held a one-on-one meeting with former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, which was “good and friendly,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov was quoted as saying yesterday by Russian news agencies.
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“The discussion was friendly. It was in the form of a tete-a-tete, one on one,” the agencies quoted Mr Ushakov as saying.
“I honestly don’t know any of the details. It took place in Moscow, in the Kremlin.”In his comments to journalists, Mr Ushakov said Russian officials were engaged in numerous informal contacts.
Russian president Vladimir Putin and the German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder poses at the opening of the Hanover Fair 2005, a trade fair for industrial technology at the Congress Centrum on 11 April 2005 in Hanover, Germany (Getty)
“I can well imagine that there are a lot of informal contacts and we simply don’t know about them,” the agencies quoted him as saying. Mr Schroeder was the German Chancellor from 1998 to 2005, when his Social Democratic Party was voted out of office.
He subsequently worked for Russian state companies and cultivated a close relationship with Mr Putin. The Russian president last month suggested that he would be willing to negotiate new security arrangements for Europe, with Mr Schroeder as his preferred partner.
But EU foreign ministers at a meeting in Brussels rejected any role for Mr Schroeder, with the EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas saying that would allow the former chancellor to “be sitting on both sides of the table”.
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Mr Ushakov said he made no public statements about his own informal contacts, including with the special US envoys dealing with the conflict in Ukraine – Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, president Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
He noted that US diplomacy was focused on events in Iran, but said a forthcoming visit by Mr Witkoff and Mr Kushner to Moscow was “being prepared, but the dates have not been agreed”.
MADRID (AP) — Pope Leo XIV’s trip to Spain will bring the American pontiff to a traditional center of European Christianity, where the Catholic Church has a complex legacy and the Socialist-led government is in the midst of a political crisis.
Leo’s weeklong visit begins Saturday in Madrid, where upon landing he was greeted by the country’s Catholic monarchs, King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. His first day ends with a prayer vigil with young people, many of whom will be witnessing their first pope on Spanish soil.
In a sign that the clergy sexual abuse crisis continues to overshadow papal trips, the Vatican confirmed late Friday that Leo would meet with survivors during his visit. The Spanish Catholic hierarchy is belatedly reckoning with decades of abuse and cover-up in the once-staunchly Catholic country.
The visit, the first by a pope in 15 years, signals Leo is returning papal attention to Europe and its Christian roots. Pope Francis largely stayed away from the traditional centers of European Christianity in favor of smaller Catholic communities farther away.
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Pope Leo XIV arrives at Adolfo Suarez-Madrid Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, June 6, 2026, at the start of a seven-day pastoral visit to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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Pope Leo XIV arrives at Adolfo Suarez-Madrid Barajas Airport in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, June 6, 2026, at the start of a seven-day pastoral visit to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)
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But with the Spain trip — and a day trip to Monaco in March, a quick stop in San Marino in August and a four-day visit to France planned for September — Leo is seemingly keen to bring his message of peace, unity and human dignity to a continent in the throes of Russia’s war in Ukraine, the fallout from the U.S.-Israeli war in Iran and anxiety over artificial intelligence.
Leo acknowledged Saturday as he headed to Spain that he’s competing with another VIP in Madrid this weekend.
Puerto Rican sensation Bad Bunny is performing two shows of his 10-concert Spanish tour this weekend in the Spanish capital.
“When confronted with the question ‘Do I go see Bad Bunny or do I go to see the pope?’ I think many will go to see Bad Bunny,” Leo said. But he said he believed others would go to see him.
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Pope Leo XIV is welcomed by Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia upon his arrival at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Saturday, June 6, 2026, marking the start of his seven-day apostolic journey to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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Pope Leo XIV is welcomed by Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia upon his arrival at Adolfo Suarez Madrid-Barajas International Airport in Madrid, Saturday, June 6, 2026, marking the start of his seven-day apostolic journey to mainland Spain and the Canary Islands. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)
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A first-ever papal speech to the Spanish Parliament
The highlight of Leo’s visit to Madrid will be his speech Monday to both chambers of the Spanish Parliament. Even though St. John Paul II visited Spain five times and Pope Benedict XVI three, no pope has ever addressed Las Cortes Generales, as the Parliament is known.
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Such speeches are rare and often become one of the most important of a pontificate.
But Leo will find a legislature that is highly polarized, with the ruling Socialist party hammered by a series of corruption scandals. Conservative parties including the Popular Party and far-right Vox have called for Sánchez to step down before elections in 2027, and have roundly criticized his government’s migration policies.
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Visitors pose for photos beside a sign bearing the name of Pope Leo XIV in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Visitors pose for photos beside a sign bearing the name of Pope Leo XIV in Madrid, Spain, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
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The papal visit will be hard to miss in Madrid. Leo’s face has been plastered across subway cars, billboards and ads in metro stations in the Spanish capital. On display at some souvenir shops are posters and magnets of Leo and other papal knick-knacks. Bakeries are selling limited edition pope cakes and pastries.
Despite some expected protests of Leo’s visit — the trip is costing some 15 million euros ($17.2 million) — his speech to Parliament in particular is something of a milestone for Spain’s Catholic Church. Shaped by the anticlerical violence of the country’s 1936-1939 civil war, more recently, it has dealt with a credibility crisis over revelations of decades of clergy abuse and cover-up.
While much of Europe has secularized in recent decades, Spain stands out after it underwent a religious crisis following the 1975 death of Gen. Francisco Franco. A staunch Catholic, Franco viewed his reign as something of a religious crusade against the anticlerical anarchist, leftist and secular tendencies in Spain.
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As Spain transitioned to a democracy, the percentage of Spaniards who declared themselves Catholics fell from 90% in the 1970s to just 55% in 2025, according to polling data collected by Spain’s state opinion agency. Of that group only 19% say they regularly attend Mass.
And yet there are signs of renewed interest in all forms of spirituality, Christian and otherwise, especially among young Spaniards, said sociologist Narciso Michavila Núñez, president of the GAD3 consulting firm that polls young people about their faith, among other things.
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Pilgrims walk through Madrid ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
Pilgrims walk through Madrid ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Spain, Saturday, June 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)
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In recent surveys, he said, pollsters are registering newfound interest in faith among Gen Z Spaniards. Michavila and others cite the popularity of Spanish pop star Rosalía’s new hit album “Lux,” which is overtly spiritual.
“The truth from a common view is not that God is in fashion. What is new in this moment, in this visit of the pope, is that God in the Spanish society is not a tattoo anymore,” he said.
A Mass at Sagrada Familia and migration message
After Madrid, the other highlights of the trip include Leo’s visit midweek to Barcelona, where he will celebrate Mass in the Sagrada Familia basilica on the centenary of the death of its famed architect, Antoni Gaudí. While Catalonia’s beloved native son is on the path to possible sainthood, no announcements on his canonization are expected during the trip, Bruni said.
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During the June 10 Mass, Leo will inaugurate the soaring central spire of the basilica, the Tower of Jesus Christ, which when it was moved into place earlier this year made Sagrada Familia the tallest church in the world.
Leo will also fulfill a wish of Francis by ending his visit with a two-day stop in the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago that is closer to Africa than the Iberian peninsula and a key destination for migrants leaving West Africa.
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Antoni Gaudí’s Basilica of the Sagrada Familia stands at dusk in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, May 30, 2026, ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Barcelona in June. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Antoni Gaudí’s Basilica of the Sagrada Familia stands at dusk in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, May 30, 2026, ahead of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Barcelona in June. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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Leo will meet with migrants and the humanitarian organizations providing care for them. He is expected to toss a wreath of flowers into the sea, in memory of migrants killed during the treacherous Atlantic crossing. He’ll do so from the port in Las Palmas that in 2020 earned the nickname the “Dock of Shame” because thousands of migrants were forced to sleep in the open for weeks on end during a spike in arrivals.
Francis had made reaching out to migrants and refugees a hallmark of his papacy and Leo has followed suit by demanding dignified treatment of migrants, especially in his native United States.
“For those of us who are immigrants and find ourselves in this situation of having family far away, someone like the Pope — who is an important figure for the entire world — coming here is truly something that makes me say ‘wow,’” said Constantina Nchama, an immigrant from Equatorial Guinea in Madrid days before Leo’s visit.
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“It’s something that happens once in a lifetime,” she said. “I’m very, very excited about that, truly.”
Spain’s Socialist-led government has bucked a general trend in Europe and the U.S. by announcing it will grant legal status to potentially hundreds of thousands of immigrants living and working in the country without authorization. Sánchez has highlighted the benefits of legal migration to the country’s economy with an aging workforce and low birthrate.
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Migrants disembark at the port of “La Estaca” in Valverde on the Canary island of El Hierro, Spain, Aug. 26, 2024. Emergency services said the migrants arrived by boat after a 13-day voyage from Senegal. (AP Photo/Maria Ximena, File)
Migrants disembark at the port of “La Estaca” in Valverde on the Canary island of El Hierro, Spain, Aug. 26, 2024. Emergency services said the migrants arrived by boat after a 13-day voyage from Senegal. (AP Photo/Maria Ximena, File)
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Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.
Dale Carlyle, 33, of Fifth Avenue, Tang Hall, pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman in Chester-le-Street, County Durham.
Newton Aycliffe magistrates gave him a 12-month community order with 15 days’ rehabilitative activities. He was made subject to a five-year restraining order aimed at protecting the woman from him and ordered to pay £300 prosecution costs.
Romeo Ngjela, 57, of Kexby Avenue, off Green Dyke Avenue, York, was convicted in his absence of jumping a red light and using a car without insurance in Oadby, Leicester. He was banned from driving for 12 months at Loughborough Magistrates Court, fined £660 and ordered to pay a £264 statutory surcharge and £120 prosecution costs.
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Two defendants were sentenced by Harrogate magistrates.
Abdulhafiz Abdu, 24, of Peterhill Drive, Clifton, was convicted in his absence of driving on Queen’s Staith without insurance and without a licence and driving a car without a valid MOT certificate. He was fined £660, ordered to pay £120 prosecution costs and banned from driving for six months.
Magdeline Mukoyi, 49, of Eastfield Walk, Tadcaster, was banned from driving for six months after she pleaded guilty to driving without a licence. She was fined £40 and ordered to pay a £16 statutory surcharge.
Trump says he does not need deal with Iran to get enriched uranium
Donald Trump has said he is “moving fast” on Iran and claimed its military is “totally destroyed”.
In a preview clip of a NBC interview, the US president also claimed he knows “exactly” how many missiles Iran has left, but refused to give a figure.
“I’m moving very fast, I’m into three months,” he said. “Vietnam lasted 19 years, I’m into my third month. We have totally destroyed their military.”
He added Iran has “maybe 21 or 22 per cent” of their missiles left, saying it is “a lot of missiles, but not what it was when we first attacked”.
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It comes after the US military said it downed six Iranian ballistic missiles launched towards its Gulf allies, while a seventh missile failed to reach its target.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps said it targeted a US airbase in Kuwait and the US Navy’s 5th Fleet in Bahrain, according to Iranian state media.
The attack came on Friday just hours after the US military also shot down four Iranian attack drones headed towards the Strait of Hormuz, with US Central Command saying they “posed an immediate threat to regional maritime traffic”.
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Trump says he is ‘moving fast’ on Iran but declines to say how many missiles are elft
Donald Trump has said he is “moving fast” on Iran and claimed its military is “totally destroyed” – but declined to say how many missiles he believes Tehran has.
In a preview clip of an NBC interview, the US president claimed he knows “exactly” how many missiles Iran has left, but refused to give a figure.
“I’m moving very fast, I’m into three months,” he said. “Vietnam lasted 19 years, I’m into my third month. We have totally destroyed their military.”
He added Iran has “maybe 21 or 22 per cent” of their missiles left, saying it is “a lot of missiles, but not what it was when we first attacked”.
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When asked to give a ballpark figure, he declines.
Nicole Wootton-Cane6 June 2026 11:31
Russia’s Sechin accuses US companies of benefitting from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz
Rosneft Chief Executive Igor Sechin has said US energy companies are benefitting from the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and accused Washington of trying to change the fundamental contours of the global energy markets to suit US interests.
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Iran blockaded the Strait, the main route for about a fifth of world oil supplies and other vital goods including fertilisers, after the United States and Israel attacked Iran and killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in February. The US has blockaded Iranian ports.
The closues of the Strait has rattled global markets, sending oil prices to multi-year highs, stoking global inflation and undermining economic growth world-wide.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Mr Sechin, a long-standing ally of President Vladimir Putin, also said that the OPEC+ group of leading oil producers has lost some of its potential with the withdrawal of the United Arab Emirates from the alliance.
“The closure of the Strait of Hormuz is an attempt to reshape global energy market regulations to benefit the United States. The measures taken to block the strait were aimed at Iran, but backfired on the entire world. The strategic risks were underestimated,” Mr Sechin said.
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“The main beneficiaries, of course, were American companies, who gained non-competitive advantages and the ability to secure high-cost supplies,” he added.
He warned that following Strait of Hormuz closure, other major global routes, such as Malacca, Bad El Mandeb and Gibraltar straits could also be under the risk of disruption.
Chief Executive of oil producer Rosneft Igor Sechin (Reuters)
Nicole Wootton-Cane6 June 2026 11:00
Watch: US forces down Iranian missiles targeting Kuwait and Bahrain
US forces down Iranian missiles targeting Kuwait and Bahrain
Nicole Wootton-Cane6 June 2026 10:30
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Iran World Cup players get US visas
Iran’s World Cup soccer players have received visas to enter the United States, a US official said days before their first match, but Iranian media said on Saturday that some administrative staff had not gotten their visas.
The White House official told Reuters on Friday, 10 days before Iran plays in Los Angeles, that the players had received their visas, after Iran’s ambassador to Mexico, Abolfazl Pasandideh, said on Thursday that they had not received them.
A spokesman for Iran’s World Cup federation could not immediately be reached for comment.
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Some Iran stars will be playing in their first World Cup (AFP/Getty)
Nicole Wootton-Cane6 June 2026 10:00
Recap: US forces seize sanctioned supertanker in high-seas operation
US forces intercepted the sanctioned stateless oil tanker Davina overnight on Thursday in the Indian Ocean, the military’s Indo-Pacific Command announced on Friday.
It comes as part of Washington’s blockade on Iran’s sea trade, after Tehran fired on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and follows multiple US interdictions of commercial and oil tankers in the region recently.
“We will continue global maritime enforcement to disrupt illicit networks and interdict vessels providing material support to Iran, wherever they operate,” the Indo-Pacific Command wrote in an X post.
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Nicole Wootton-Cane6 June 2026 09:30
In focus: How Iran’s ‘bazaar style’ negotiation tactic is stalling deal discussions to its benefit
Negotiations between the US and Iran over an end to the war on the country have been languishing in a stalemate for weeks as both sides remain intransigent about key issues including nuclear development and the situation in Lebanon.
The US is insistent that Tehran surrender its right to ever develop highly enriched uranium and appears to have been manoeuvring to install a government more sympathetic to Western interests.
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Meanwhile, Iran has said that it will never agree to a deal that does not ensure the sovereignty of Lebanon and its borders from Israel – with Israeli strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon continuing – and has insisted on its ability to hold on to some nuclear development capabilities.
This has likely not been helped by Iran’s particular “bazaar style” negotiation strategy, which aims to wear down its opponents.
Nicole Wootton-Cane6 June 2026 09:00
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Iran’s foreign minister hits back at Lebanon ‘bargaining chip’ claims
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi has hit back at Lebanon’s president’s claims his country is being used as a “bargaining chip” in Tehran’s negotiations with Washington.
In a post on X, Mr Araghchi wrote the countries would have had a deal “long ago” had Lebanon been a bargaining chip for Iran.
“Save Lebanon from your real foe, Mr. President,” he added.
Nicole Wootton-Cane6 June 2026 08:30
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Several Lebanese soldiers killed in Israeli strike in southern Lebanon
Several Lebanese soldiers, including an officer, were killed in an Israeli strike targeting their military vehicle on the Khardali-Nabatieh road in south Lebanon, the Lebanese army said on Saturday.
The Lebanese army has historically avoided involvement in confrontations between Hezbollah and Israel and has not engaged Israel in the current conflict.
It comes as fighting continues between Hezbollah and Israel in the south of the country.
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Nicole Wootton-Cane6 June 2026 08:00
Everything you need to know this morning
Good morning. Here’s everything you need to know after the US said it downed six ballistic missiles aimed at Gulf states:
• The US military says it has downed six Iranian ballistic missiles launched towards its Gulf allies, while a seventh missile failed to reach its target
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• Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted US bases and assets in Kuwait and Bahrain
• US forces later struck Iranian coastal surveillance radar sites in Goruk and on Qeshm Island along the strait “to defend against further attacks”
• No injuries have currently been reported
Nicole Wootton-Cane6 June 2026 07:30
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Watch: Trump says he does not need deal with Iran to get enriched uranium
Trump says he does not need deal with Iran to get enriched uranium
Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage
A woman is in a critical condition after suffering a suspected medical episode at the wheel prior to a crash in Wythenshawe.
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Southmoor Road, between Floatshall Road and Royal Oak Road, was shut at around 10am on Friday (June 5) following the incident.
The driver of a white Ford Ka suffered a suspected medical episode at the wheel before hitting a vehicle in the opposite lane.
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An air ambulance was seen landing near the scene. The driver of the Ford, a woman in her 50s, was taken to hospital and remains in a life-threatening condition.
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The force’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit is now appealing for anyone who saw the vehicle before the collision, witnessed the incident or caught it on dashcam footage to come forward.
In a full statement, the force said: “Our Serious Collision Investigation Unit are appealing for information following a collision yesterday (Friday 5 June 2026) on Southmoor Road, Wythenshawe at around 9:55am.
“One vehicle, a white Ford Ka, was seen driving along the road when the driver suffered a suspected medical episode and collided with a vehicle in the opposite lane.
“The driver of the Ford, aged in her 50s, was taken to hospital where she remains in life-threatening condition.
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“Officers from the SCIU continue their investigation and are asking for anyone with information to please come forward.
“This includes anyone who saw the vehicle driving before the collision, witnessed the incident itself, or has dashcam footage of the incident.
“You can contact the SCIU directly on 0161 856 4741, contact the police on our Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 925 of 05/06/2026.
“Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.”
Across the UK thousands of dogs are searching for their forever homes after experiencing difficult starts in life.
Animal rescue centres and dedicated foster carers work tirelessly throughout the year to provide vulnerable dogs with the warmth, safety, and care they need, helping to prevent animals from ending up on the streets or facing euthanasia. While their efforts transform countless lives their ultimate goal is to find each dog a loving family where they can enjoy a happy and secure future.
Every rescue dog has its own story, personality, and challenges but each also offers the opportunity to welcome a loyal and rewarding companion into your home.
To help these deserving dogs find their perfect match rescue organisations have shared the stories of some of the pets currently waiting for adoption. You can find them all here
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Charlie is a handsome young Mastiff x Great Dane available for adoption at Many Tears Rescue, Llanelli(Image: Many Tears Rescue)
The works include repairs to the roof, replacing and restoring window glazing and frames, enhancing the metal work and the installation of LED lighting.
Moorgarth Retail Ltd have argued that the restoration work is needed and could work in conjunction with wider efforts to regenerate the town.
A design and access statement said: “Bolton Market Hall is Grade II listed because of its architectural and historic significance, particularly as a fine early example of Victorian civic market building.
“Its architectural interest lies primarily in the innovative use of cast iron and glass, which was impressive in the mid-nineteenth century.
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A range of refurbishments have been approved (Image: Wardell Armstrong)
“The iron columns, roof trusses, and open hall layout of the internal structure also reflect early industrial engineering techniques, placing it firmly in the period of rapid industrial growth in which Bolton played a pivotal role.
“Bolton Market Hall has historic interest as an example of how municipal authorities invested in public infrastructure during the Industrial Revolution.
“It reflects Bolton’s growth as a major mill town, where markets were central to urban life and the local economy.
“Purpose-built covered markets like this were symbols of civic pride and modernity at the time, and it has long been a focal point of Bolton town centre, contributing to the character and identity of the area. Its survival, largely intact and unaltered, adds to its heritage value.”
A letter of objection was received raising concerns about the works being carried out during nighttime hours, but council officers said this was not a material planning issue.
The council’s heritage officer was consulted on the plans and said there were no objections to the proposed refurbishment.
A report said: “The works to this Grade II listed building amount to more than just repairs but on the whole they are very welcomed.
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“The works would have a neutral to positive impact.”
Bolton Council announced on Tuesday June 2 that the plans had been approved.
Rylan Clark often invites his mother Linda on to his BBC Radio 2 show, but on one appearance she begged her son to “stop” as he told his listeners an “embarrassing” anecdote
Radio presenter Rylan Clark is renowned for having an extremely close relationship with his mum Linda. But she recently begged him to “stop” after he exposed an “embarrassing” moment live on air.
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Rylan often invites his mum to appear on his BBC Radio 2 show on Saturdays. On one such occasion Rylan told a hilarious anecdote about the events leading up to a family wedding.
Linda was attending their cousin Christopher’s nuptials and had a very specific request for her son on the day of the wedding. Rylan shared the request with his Radio 2 listeners, causing Linda to beg him to “stop” before he shared the “embarrassing” moment.
As Rylan started to share the story, Linda said: “No, stop it’s embarrassing.” Rylan disagreed, saying: “It’s not embarrassing, I think it’s quite fun.”
He continued: “I want to prelude this with ‘we’re very normal’. This is the world my mum lives in. So she’s going to a wedding yesterday, our cousin Christopher, congratulations to the pair of them.
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“And she goes: ‘Are you near a Chanel?’ And I go: ‘I’m at the flat at the minute, what’s wrong?’ ‘You can’t pop in there and pick me up a gold bag?’ I said: ‘Sorry?’ And she went: ‘Yeah, like a little one you bought me last year.’ And I say: ‘The black one that you never use?’ And I say: ‘Sorry, mum do you know how much a Chanel bag costs?’”
Linda then begged her son not to finish the story, saying: “Please don’t tell everyone.”
But Rylan wouldn’t be stopped, as he added: “I think you’re under the impression they just dish them out on the street.” He couldn’t resist ending the anecdote with a joke, quipping that Linda is “letting this Radio 2 and Gogglebox thing go to your head”.
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Rylan shot to fame on the X Factor in 2012, when he came fifth. He has since gone on to star on a number of television programmes, including Celebrity Big Brother which he won the following year.
Alongside his BBC Radio 2 show, his other credits include This Morning, Eurovision, the rebooted Supermarket Sweep and Strictly Come Dancing’s spin off It Takes Two.
Rylan has often spoken of his extremely close relationship with his mother, and this was perhaps illustrated by another anecdote on his radio show.
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Kicking off the segment, the presenter said: “It’s time to catch up with the woman who pretty much woke me up this morning.
“I was already awake, but what I mean by woke me up is came through my front door like a bulldozer screaming that your car weren’t working.”
Catch Rylan and his mum Linda on Celebrity Gogglebox tonight (Saturday, June 6) from 12.05am to 1.05am on Channel 4.
On a more serious note, the message also advised people to plan a safe place to meet if they lose their group “or The Ones You Love” – and urged people not to venture into the sea if they’ve been drinking: “It Would Take A Strong Strong Man (or woman) to fight the current in the North Bay. We don’t want you having to Sink Or Swim.”
Rick Astley’s Scarborough gig inspires safety message from a North Yorkshire Police officer. (Image: North Yorkshire Police)
The officer whose identity was not revealed is clearly popular among page followers, with several issuing a warm welcome: “Fabulous you’re back”, wrote one, and ‘Yay, you’re back’.
Others joined in the theme with “Sounds like a Cry For Help” and “Ah good to have u back love these posts glad your never gonna give us up”.
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One suggested the post must have been vetted by four levels of police management, to which the officer replied “No, it was just me! Wrote it, posted it!”
To give the officer’s talent the bigger platform it deserves, we’re sharing the post here in full:
“Let’s hope the Angels On My Side look after me for this one!
“There won’t be any Rickrolling tonight, because the man himself, Rick Astley, takes to the stage to open the summer season at Scarborough‘s Open Air Theatre.
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“Rick will be joined by The Covasettes and The Lottery Winners. This year, you can meet our team who regularly patrol outside the venue, as we will be getting boots on the ground with our Beat Bus.
“Come and find us round the corner from the Box Office between 5pm and 7pm.
“See if you can find Elizabeth! As It Was in previous years, you will also find us on patrol around the outside of the venue.
“Whenever You Need Somebody, make a Cry For Help whether on 101, 999 or in person and we get to you.
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“You might find me Dippin My Feet on the golden sands of the North Bay, as high tide isn’t until just after 8:30pm tonight. Please don’t try to enter the water if you’ve been drinking. It Would Take A Strong Strong Man (or woman) to fight the current in the North Bay. We don’t want you having to Sink Or Swim.
“Now, I Like The Sun, but it has decided not to show up today, with cloudy skies and temperatures to be in the mid-teens, make sure you keep hydrated tho.
“On that note, toilets outside the venue are located in the car park opposite the entrance.
“Please don’t be Slipping Away into the bushes, no matter what you think….we can see you! You can find hospitality venues for food and drink both inside the venue and outside, all within a 5 minute walk.
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“Make sure your personal items are not on show in your car before you leave it. You don’t want to make 85 Trips to check.
“In previous years, the mobile phone signal has been a bit sketchy in the area. Check out the Box Office for the Wi-Fi codes to show your digital tickets. When you arrive, plan a safe place to return to, should you become separated with your group, or The Ones You Love.
“When it comes to Lights Out and its time to leave, Keep Singing as you leave the venue, Don’t Say Goodbye! Hearing a sell-out crowd singing… What A Rush.
“If you head towards the roundabout as you leave, you can find buses to town and taxi’s. It’s going to be a bumper year in 2026 for events at the OAT, and when you ask about these posts, I’m Never Gonna Stop! I’ve managed to avoid working the opener this year so I hope you have a great evening and stay safe.”
England head coach Thomas Tuchel says reports about the state of the pitch for his team’s friendly against New Zealand will not influence which players are involved.
The Daily Mail, external said the playing surface for the match at the Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was a ‘plug and play’ pitch laid just a week ago.
Several pitches for World Cup matches are being played in stadiums that usually have artificial surfaces but which have been relaid with grass.
Travelling ground staff from the Football Association were reported to be liaising with the venue over the pitch which appeared in pictures to be slightly disjointed in parts.
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England have no injury concerns and despite the start of the World Cup being so close, Tuchel said the condition of the pitch “will not affect my team selection”. He said that he has “heard” it “will be OK”.
“I saw a photo from a journalist which made me a little bit worried and concerned, but let’s decide when we are there,” Tuchel told a news conference on Friday.
“If there are any issues, we can always react to it. The plan is to play 45 minutes with two complete teams, to expose everyone to the same amount of minutes.
“Then we can continue for the next three days with the same load of training. That is the plan and at the moment we are sticking to it.”
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England are in Florida for a pre-World Cup camp in West Palm Beach and will play New Zealand on Saturday (21:00 BST).
The game is the first of two warm-ups, with the other being against Costa Rica on 10 June (21:00 BST), before the World Cup officially starts on 11 June.
England trained with 27 players on Friday in a session which did not include Arsenal players Eberechi Eze, Noni Madueke, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka as they were involved in the Champions League final on 30 May.
Premier League players Josh King, Rio Ngumoha, Ethan Nwaneri, Alex Scott and Jason Steele have been training with Tuchel’s squad to boost numbers.
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Goalkeeper Dean Henderson also trained having joined the squad following Crystal Palace’s victory in the Conference League final.
The North Korean leader was accompanied by his teenage daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, while inspecting a new warship (Picture: KCNA via KNS via AP)
Kim Jong Un has vowed to accelerate efforts to build a nuclear-armed navy and develop ‘secret underwater weapons’.
The North Korean leader was accompanied by his teenage daughter, believed to be named Kim Ju Ae, while inspecting a new warship ahead of a visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
State media quoted him as calling for ‘rapidly developing’ naval forces capable of playing a larger role in the country’s nuclear deterrent and dealing a ‘deadly blow at the enemy any moment under the water or on the water’.
He said the navy was at the heart of a new five-year defence plan including the building of larger 10,000-tonne-class destroyers and developing unspecified ‘underwater secret weapons’.
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North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) did not report any quotes by Kim about Washington or Seoul amid persistent tensions over his nuclear ambitions and a prolonged freeze in diplomacy.
The report came a day after North Korean and Chinese state media confirmed that Xi would visit North Korea on Monday, the latest sign of Beijing’s efforts to reinforce ties with its nuclear-armed neighbour.
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In recent years, Kim has prioritized relations with Russia, notably by sending troop s and military equipment to support Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Kim Jong Un, left and his daughter observe the sea trials of its destroyer Kang Kon at an undisclosed location in North Korea (Picture: KCNA via KNS via AP)
Photo provided by the North Korean government shows its destroyer Kang Kon during the sea trials at an undisclosed location in North Korea (Picture: KCNA via KNS via AP)
Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit North Korea next week (Picture: AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Xi’s trip was announced a day after North Korea unveiled what South Korea’s military assessed as a new uranium-enrichment facility for producing nuclear bomb fuel.
While visiting the 5,000-ton destroyer Kang Kon, Kim pledged to expand the country’s nuclear forces ‘at an exponential rate’.
Experts say the move reflects his desire to cement North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state ahead of Xi’s visit.
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Kang Kon is the second of two destroyers North Korea unveiled last year, following the Choe Hyon, whose development Kim hailed as a major step toward expanding the operational range and pre-emptive strike capabilities of his nuclear-armed military.
State media said the ships are designed to carry a range of weapons systems, including anti-aircraft and anti-ship weapons as well as nuclear-capable ballistic and cruise missiles, though some experts have questioned their effectiveness in active duty.
Kang Kon was damaged during a botched launching ceremony in May last year at the northeastern port of Chongjin, triggering a furious reaction from Kim, who called the failure ‘criminal’.
North Korea said Kang Kon was relaunched in June after repair, but outside experts have questioned whether the ship is fully operational.
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Kim has called for building two more 5,000-ton-class destroyers.
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