Israel Says Iranian Commander Dead, Russian Strikes Kill 14, Ibiza Fright

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🗞️ FRONT PAGE​​

Quebec daily Le Devoir lends its frontpage to the early departure of U.S. President Donald Trump from the G7 summit, held in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada. Trump left the meeting Monday, with the White House press secretary citing “what’s going on in the Middle East” as the reason. Trump denied French President Emmanuel Macron’s claims that he was returning to Washington to settle a ceasefire between Iran and Israel: “it certainly has nothing to do with a Cease Fire. Much bigger than that,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that the French president was “publicity seeking.”

🌎 7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• Israel claims death of top Iranian officer. Iran and Israel are exchanging fire for a fifth day, with Tehran launching two waves of missiles in response to the Israeli attacks. The Israeli army claimed on Tuesday it had killed Iran’s wartime chief of staff and most senior military commander, Ali Shadmani. U.S. President Donald Trump said he wanted a “real end” to the nuclear problem with Iran as he departed the G7 summit early “because of what’s going on in the Middle East,” his press secretary wrote in a post on X. Trump told reporters on Air Force One he’s not looking for a ceasefire, but “we’re looking at better than a ceasefire.” Meanwhile, the G7 expressed support for Israel in a statement issued on Monday, designating Iran as “the principal source of regional instability and terror.” Check this piece by French analyst Pierre Haski, translated from French by Worldcrunch.

• At least 51 Palestinians waiting for aid trucks killed in Gaza. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported on Tuesday that Israeli tank shellfire killed at least 51 Palestinians and wounded more than 200 as they awaited aid trucks in the southern city of Khan Younis. According to Palestinian witnesses, Israeli forces carried out an airstrike on a nearby home before opening fire toward the crowd. Medics expect the number of fatalities to rise as many of the wounded were in critical condition. Read more in this Daraj analysis: The Simple Reason The Gaza War Keeps Going: Both Israel And Hamas Don’t Want It To End.

• Russian attack kills at least 14 in Kyiv, EU readies ban on Russian imports. Russia launched a sustained missile and drone attack on the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday, killing at least 14 people and injuring 116 while they slept in their homes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the attack “one of the most terrifying strikes” on the capital city, after Moscow fired more than 440 drones and 32 missiles at Ukraine. Meanwhile, the European Commission is expected to propose a ban on EU imports of Russian gas and liquefied natural gas by the end of 2027. The Commission is set to use legal measures to ensure the plan cannot be blocked by EU members Hungary and Slovakia, which still import Russian gas via pipeline.

• U.S. and UK sign trade deal, but steel imports still unresolved. U.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced on Monday at the G7 summit that they have signed a trade deal that will slash tariffs on UK auto and aerospace industry imports. Steel production remains under discussion. The pact, initially agreed last month, is the first Washington has signed since it imposed wide-ranging tariffs on various goods entering America earlier this year.

• New Zealand prime minister on first visit to China. New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon travels to China on Tuesday to discuss trade, tourism, security and defense, during his first visit to the country since becoming prime minister in November 2023. Luxon is expected to meet with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang on Friday, a week after an open letter signed by some of his predecessors warned against positioning New Zealand as an “adversary” of its biggest trading partner.

• Louvre workers strike to protest overtourism. The world’s most-visited museum shuttered Monday after workers went on a spontaneous strike to protest against what they described as “untenable” working conditions and chronic overtourism. The strike comes just months after French President Emmanuel Macron unveiled a sweeping decade-long plan to renovate the Louvre which suffers from water leaks, dangerous temperature swings, outdated infrastructure and foot traffic far beyond what the buildings can handle. For more on overtourism, check this Worldcrunch original: Overtourism Around The World, Six Ways Locals Are Beating Back The Crowds.

• News Quiz! A plague of which six-feet long animals have left tourists in Ibiza “too terrified to swim”?

A. Sharks
B. Alligators
C. Snakes
D. Jellyfish

[Answer below]

#️⃣ BY THE NUMBERS

$200 million

U.S. ChatGPT-maker company OpenAI was awarded a $200 million contract to provide the U.S. Defense Department with artificial intelligence tools, the Pentagon said in a statement Monday, to “develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains” with an estimated completion date of July 2026. OpenAI had said earlier it would collaborate with defense technology startup Anduril, which received a $100 million defense contract in December, to deploy advanced AI systems for “national security missions.” OpenAI said it had 500 million weekly active users as of the end of March, and an annualized revenue rate surging to $10 billion as of June.

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇺🇸 The U.S. president insists he wants peace and claims no involvement in Israel’s military campaign against Iran. But conflicting signals, secret briefings, and political pressures raise the question: just how far is Trump willing — or able — to stay out?
— DIE ZEIT

💥 A first-hand account of how the war began on the ground in Tehran, as a massive explosion shattered the silence. West Tehran’s high‐rises trembled as homes crumbled to rubble.
— DARAJ

💸 As flagship products of the luxury industry, fragrances have reached stratospheric prices, supposedly justified by craftsmanship and rare ingredients — simultaneously fueling a boom in the dupe market.
— LE FIGARO

📣 VERBATIM

“Neither freedom, nor love can be banned.”

— The Hungarian capital city of Budapest will organize its 30th LGBTQ+ Pride march on June 28 as a municipal event celebrating freedom, the city’s liberal mayor Gergely Karacsony said on Monday, in a move to circumvent a law that allows police to ban LGBTQ+ marches. Hungary’s parliament, in which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s right-wing Fidesz Party has a big majority, passed legislation in March that creates a legal basis to ban LGBTQ+ marches, citing protection of children; the law also lets police use facial recognition cameras to identify people who attend — Orbán had said organizers “should not even bother” making plans for Pride in Budapest this year. “In this city, there are no first-or second-class citizens. In this city we know that we can only be free together,” Karacsony said.